


beyond a neon lit sky

by unluckyones



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Bestfriends!Chankai, Friendship, Lawbreaking, M/M, Untagged Pairings, my affinity for anchors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-10 02:51:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16461974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unluckyones/pseuds/unluckyones
Summary: jongin falls from the sky and into the arms of a soldier.





	beyond a neon lit sky

**Author's Note:**

> **prompt: a110**  
>  if he looks up, he doesn't see blue sky. he sees another city, hovering over them, above all of them. only few people gaze up there too closely nowadays. Even fewer lie on their balcony with binoculars, watchings the city, instead of the few stars. but there is a certain someone who has caught his eye
> 
> \- 
> 
> firstly, a big thank you to the mods. i was so incredibly overdue with this fic, but the mods were more than patient with my shortcomings, which i am thankful for. thank you for organising another amazing round, which i am more than grateful to be a part of
> 
> thank you to everyone who had to deal with my constant whining throughout the writing process. also, special thank u to (x) who helped me edit this mess and made me laugh with their notes on my doc. ily

The evening air bit at Jongin’s ankles and the tips of his ears. With cold fingertips he exhaled puffs of white and cranked up the heater as he pulled out of the car park. The streets of Eden were busy, crowded, and Jongin tapped his fingers along the bottom of his steering wheel before he turned on his wiper in an attempt to scare away the floaters that were gathered by his windshield as he sat in traffic.

Floaters were curious creatures. They were playful jellyfish-like beings that were usually seen in groups. They often followed people down the road, rested on the railings of balconies and drifted with the wind. They weren’t very big, no bigger than Jongin’s hand. When night fell, they would glow with a soft aqua pulse; much like the luminous stones that were abundant on Eden.

Few floaters attempted to get inside Jongin’s car. The gentle tap of their soft bodies against the glass was like a dripping faucet; constant. Advertisements hung overhead and sprouted off the sides of buildings as they spilled over the motorway. Jongin’s eyes flickered over them, although nothing sank in. When the lights turned green, Jongin stepped on the gas and the floaters dispersed. He then followed the sea of cars that lead deeper into the city and snorted at the lone floater that clung to his side view mirror.

Friday night meant that there was one more stop to make before heading home. Chanyeol lived near the heart of the city, just past the Central Anchor. The sky began to darken when Jongin rounded the corner of the complex. Finding parking near Chanyeol’s place was always a challenge, but he managed to secure a spot after circling the block twice.

He weaved through the crowd of people and walked up the flight of stairs in favour of taking the elevator. Chanyeol’s spare key was tucked away in his pocket, which he then slid into the lock before opening the door moments later. Jongin flicked the lights on.

Blueprints were taped to the walls, along with half-finished sketches and haphazard memos written on post-it-notes that threatened to fall from the wind that came in from the slight crack in the window nearby. Chanyeol’s apartment is messy. His drafting table was littered with work and empty take away containers.

A small pot of flowers was seated amongst the mess of Chanyeol’s desk. Baby’s Breath. They were his mother’s favourite and Jongin watered them as per Chanyeol’s request. He also took it upon himself to tidy up Chanyeol’s apartment so that it at least looked presentable; liveable. Chanyeol wouldn’t be back until Sunday, and Jongin left his apartment shortly after the luminous stones began to glow.

 

**_To: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Cleaning up]_

_I watered your plants._

 

Jongin got back into his car. The evening rush had simmered slightly. He looked forward to getting home.

 

**_From: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Cleaning up]_

_Thanks! I owe you one._

 

**_To: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Cleaning up]_

_Don’t worry about it._

_We still on for Sunday night?_

 

**_From: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Cleaning up]_

_You betcha. Before it slips my mind, I’m meeting_

_your brother tomorrow. It's mostly for work stuff,_

_but did you want to come up and hang for a bit?_

 

**_To: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Cleaning up]_

_I’m going to pass._

_I’m pretty busy with work myself_

 

Chanyeol’s reply was delayed.

 

**_From: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Cleaning up]_

_Aw, that's too bad :-(_

_don't worry_

_I’ll be sure to tell him that you said hi!_

 

Jongin was thankful that he didn’t press any further. Chanyeol could read him pretty well eveb when they weren’t face to face. He threw his phone into the passenger seat, a little perplexed at the floater still by his side view mirror. But he didn’t let his thoughts dwell as he drove home.

Eden looked different at night than it did during the day. As the evening crept in, the city blossomed with a different kind of life. The neon wiring of the signs in restaurants, shops and on the advertisement billboards were almost blinding. Luminous stones cast an aqua hue over the streets and everything somehow worked in unison.

Jongin got home somewhere close to nine in the evening. He let out a content sigh as he dropped his belongings by the door and loosened his tie. After he toed off his shoes he made a direct line for the balcony. He slid the verandah door open and sat down with a grunt.

“Hey,” came a voice from the right and Jongin looked over to find Yixing already seated in his fold out chair. He lived in the apartment next door. He nursed a beer in his hand. The radio was on. “Want a beer?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Jongin replied. He vaguely caught Yixing’s, _‘think fast’_ , before he threw a can over the railing of his balcony by aiming it at Jongin’s.

Jongin caught it and opened the can, only for some of the beer to spill over his fingers. He hissed and licked at his skin, too lazy to go back inside to get some napkins.

Baekhyun, who lived in the apartment on his left, usually joined them on nights like this. They’d sit out on their balconies until night turned into day. It seemed that Baekhyun wasn’t home yet.

“Where’s Baekhyun?” Jongin asked.

“Don’t know,” Yixing said as he leaned back against his chair, fingers reaching out to turn up the volume on the radio.”Maybe he’s running late.”

Jongin hummed. He looked to the sky. Somehow the looming city that hovered above them always managed to take his breath away. He remembered when N.E – _New Eden_ – arrived. He was nine, then, and with the impending war, N.E came with the promise of protection; safety.

The anchors were a constant reminder that N.E is present above the advertisements and high rise buildings. They kept the city grounded, tied to Eden.

There weren’t many people who looked up these days. Few looked to the sky to study the mysterious city above. The rich and the important lived there, leaving the commoners to dwell below. Children were still curious and pointed to the sky whilst adults were less concerned with the floating city, and continued to live day-to-day without looking up.

The sound of an apartment door being forced open caused both Jongin and Yixing to look over. Baekhyun stumbled onto his balcony and kicked at his sliding door before he sat down.

“What did I miss?” he asked, somewhat out of breath as he moved forward to dangle his legs through the railing's bars and over the edge of his balcony.

“Nothing, really. I got home five minutes before you did,” Jongin said. He then caught the can Yixing threw his way before tossing it over to Baekhyun, who caught it with an _‘oof’_.

Baekhyun too hissed at the beer that was spilling over his fingers. He took a swig after he wiped his hand on his work pants. He sung under his breath before he rummaged for something in his bag. He pulled out a set of binoculars. They were black and Jongin raised a brow when Baekhyun pulled out another pair and them it at him.

“They were on sale,” Baekhyun explained as he looked into the barrels and up at the sky. “You owe me one hundred dollars.”

Jongin snorted and rolled his eyes, but there was no doubt that the binoculars in his hands were expensive. The material was smooth, hefty - not cheaply made like the ones they had bought from the market a few months ago. He quickly glanced over at Yixing, who was still fiddling with the radio. He exhaled when he found a channel with signal.

 _“Good evening,”_ the reporter said as Yixing kicked his feet up onto the railing. _“There have been reports of the rebellion trying to bomb the anchors southwest of Eden. Authorities have closed off the premises and are advising the public to stay away from the area for the time being.”_

Jongin frowned. It was the second attack this month. The first had been an attack up north, and now this. After N.E’s arrival, there were many that believed Eden didn’t need protection. Shortly after the alliance, a group of defiant individuals formed the rebellion and aimed to rid Eden of N.E’s ties.

_“We talked to the Government’s Representative, Kim Junmyeon, for his thoughts on the matter.”_

The audio then cut to a recording of Junmyeon.

_“Although today’s events have been rather frightful, we can assure you that we have things under control. The government have caught those who were responsible for today’s events and they will be held accountable for their actions–“_

“Can you turn that shit off?” Baekhyun yelled from his balcony. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“It’s important to know what’s going on in the world, Baekhyun,” Yixing shouted back, but scanned the radio channels for a new station anyway. “Kim Junmyeon,” he says then, “He’s not doing too bad with this whole… representing the government thing.”

“What do you mean?” Jongin asked.

“He’s got a face you can trust,” Yixing said.

Jongin snorted

Yixing then continued. “He’s well mannered and handles situations like this very well. He’s doing a lot better than our last representative, that’s for sure.” He then crushed his empty beer can in his hand before he reached for another one.

“He doesn’t really look like he knows how to have fun,” Baekhyun commented. “You know what I mean?”

Yixing wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. “I don’t think he has time for it.”

“If I met him, I’m sure I’d be able to show him how to have a little bit of fun,” Baekhyun winked.

“Gross,” Jongin said with a face of distaste.

Baekhyun cackled before he leaned back onto his palms. “Ever wonder what it’s like up there?”

“Not really. Why? Do you?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve been up there before,” said Yixing. When Baekhyun and Jongin looked over, Yixing casted his eyes upward.

“You never mentioned this,” Jongin said with a furrowed brow.

“Hold on a second.” Baekhyun rubbed at his temples. “You’ve _been_ up there and haven’t mentioned it before?  Not even _once_?"

“I didn’t think that it was important. And you guys didn’t ask. It was a long time ago, anyway,” Yixing shrugged.

“Well, I’m asking now,” Baekhyun interjected. “When and why the hell did you go to New Eden?”

Yixing let out a hum and downed some of his beer. “As soon as I turned eighteen I signed up to be in the military. It was my dream to fight for something that mattered. I trained for a long time, too.”

“What happened?”

A bitter laugh. “Got into an accident on a visit back home. It was pretty bad, too. I was in the hospital for a while and just… never got back to it after I was discharged. I never followed up with wanting to continue service so I think they just let me be.”

“Would you go back to it?”

“I’m probably too old for it now. Besides,” he continued while turning up the radio slightly. “I don’t think that kind of lifestyle is for me, anyway.” There was something bittersweet in his voice. Baekhyun and Jongin didn’t comment on it.

Jongin cleared his throat. “You got anymore cans on you?”

“Sure do. Catch.”

Jongin caught the can with ease and lifted the tab to open it. He brought it to his lips, relishing the taste before he put it down next to him. He felt idly for the binoculars Baekhyun had bought him and looked into them once he had them in his hands. The magnification was amazing, the lights were crisper; sharper.

Without daylight, N.E was a floating mass of glowing neon in the sky. Baekhyun whistled next to Jongin as he looked up. Yixing looked up too. No matter how many times Jongin had seen it, it was still breathtaking. Magical, almost.

 

When Jongin walked down the street and to the store, he saw Kim Junmyeon's face in the windows of corner shops and in the gaps behind the curtains at noodle bars. It was hard to find an establishment without a screen these days. Everyone wanted to be in the loop; connected.

A broadcast of Junmyeon’s press conference with the Minister of Defence, Kim Minseok, followed him down the road. He heard the echoes of the rebellion and messages of peace in the distance, but it all muted into nothingness when be plugged in his earphones to drown it out with music.

It was late into the evening, and the market was almost deserted at this time of night, save for teenagers out past curfew. He picked up a basket at the door and was glad he missed the rush. He threw some energy drinks into the basked, knowing that Chanyeol was running out of them; fully aware that Chanyeol was stubborn and would rather overwork himself and rely on caffeine rather than sleep.

He glanced at the screen by the counter when he picked up a tube of toothpaste. The press conference was still taking place. He thought that Junmyeon and Minseok both looked tired.

 

-

 

Sunday rolled around like clockwork. It was early in the morning and Jongin drove to the station by the Central Anchor to pick Chanyeol up.

Chanyeol’s silvery-blue hair matched the morning mist. He looked tired, but gave Jongin a wide grin, regardless.

The drive back to Chanyeol’s place was relatively short, but Chanyeol still managed to fall asleep in the passenger seat within that time. The sun was warm, even through the tinted windows of his car and Jongin rolled down the window slightly to let more of the warmth in.

He woke Chanyeol up with a gentle shake of his shoulder once they reached his apartment. They took the elevator up, and Jongin took the energy drinks that he picked up the other day to restock Chanyeol’s fridge once they got in.

“I’m so tired,” Chanyeol groaned. He rubbed at his eyes before he dragged his hands down his face as he stumbled into his apartment. Jongin followed, sighing as he picked up the jacket that Chanyeol had just taken off and thrown onto the floor.

“Maybe you shouldn’t work that much then?” Jongin suggested.

“But I love my job.”

Jongin took a look around, eyeing the wall of blueprints he had seen many times before. “I can see that.”

“Not everyone gets funded by the government, you know?”

“I know, I know.”

“Anyway,” Chanyeol started, wanting the attention away from himself. “How have things been around here since I’ve been gone?”

“Nothing much has changed, but the bombing of the South-East Anchor have put some people on edge.”

Chanyeol hummed. “Those anchors are a lot sturdier than what people think. It’s going to take a lot more than one bombing to break those chains.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol nodded. “Even if they do break, I wouldn’t be too worried.”

“You do realise that these attacks have been pretty serious, right?”

“I know, but it’s the Compass Points that are really holding N.E Down. Breaking the chain of a small anchor is not really going to do any damage. Compass Points are bigger than the Central Anchor, you know?”

“You’ve seen one up close?”

“Mhm.” Chanyeol paused when Jongin handed him an energy drink and wasted little time to downing some of it. “You know. For research purposes,” he continued. “I’ll take you someday. Ah, thanks for cleaning up by the way.”

“You’ve always been a mess,” Jongin said fondly. “Even when we were kids. Nothing much has changed since then. You’ve always been creating things. Remember that one time you caused the south side of town to black out?”

Chanyeol laughed. “Seems like a lifetime ago, huh?

Jongin relaxed into Chanyeol’s couch. “We had clear skies back then… When N.E wasn’t around.”

He spent some time at Chanyeol’s place and headed home before it got dark. Baekhyun and Yixing were already out on their balconies when Jongin got home. They were mid conversation, but it dwindled once Jongin stepped outside.

“They ran out of what we usually get. Had to get a different brand,” Yixing said as he threw a can over.

“Beer is beer,” Jongin replied as he tossed the can over to Baekhyun.

“Agreed.” Baekhyun nodded.

Yixing threw a second can over and it almost slipped from Jongin’s fingers. Yixing chuckled before they opened their cans in unison.

A floater drifted up by Jongin's balcony. It rested upon the railings and glowed softly against the backdrop of the city below. It was shortly joined by another and they felt at the railings before being drawn to the sound coming from Yixing’s radio.

Jongin caught a glimpse of Yixing’s smile from the corner of his eyes as Yixing stretched out his hand to let the floaters kiss the metal of his rings and the skin of his palm.

Jongin licked the taste of beer off his lips and looked up. He traced along the Central Anchor with his eyes before he tilted his head back to look higher. The tops of buildings were hidden by the clouds, scraping against the sky, and Jongin was still captivated by N.E even after all of the years spent living below it.

His vision was suddenly obstructed. The left lens of his binoculars faded to black, aqua, then back to black. Jongin took the device away from his eyes to examine the floater that rested there. It bobbed languidly in place, off-tune to the music that drifted over from Yixing’s balcony.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen an angel on this side of the border,” said Baekhyun.

Jongin squinted before he remembered the binoculars in his hand. He poked at the floater with his finger to get its attention and grinned when it latched onto his finger. He shook his hand softly and the floater drifted away with the breeze. Jongin then wiped at the lens with the fabric of his shirt before he brought the binoculars back to his eyes.

Against the sky and the blinding neon mass that was  _New Eden_ , a silhouette stood along the border. There were no mistaking the wings that were spread majestically against the sky; recognisable even from the distance between them.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen an angel in general,” Baekhyun then added.

“The rebellion has been more daring these days, so I guess it’s understandable,” Jongin said

“This one seems new, though. Haven’t seen them before.”

The wind was brisk even on Eden, and the anchors’ chains swayed with a dull, metallic clank in the distance. The angel began to take flight, falling and plummeting off the edge of N.E to patrol the sky. Jongin stared in fascination. Rather than the gentle drift of the floaters, angels soared through the sky with power. The graceful movement of their wings was captivating as Jongin couldn’t look away even if he tried.

Angels were implemented shortly after the alliance. They weren’t only guardians, but powerful, highly skilled soldiers that were to protect both cities from harm. After they joined Eden’s military, angels had instantly become recognisable for their large, mechanical wings.

“Hey, Yixing?” Jongin began with caution.

Yixing gave him a curious stare. “Hm?”

“When you said you were training to be in the military… were you going to become an angel?”

“I was.”

“So does that mean that you know how to use a gun?” Baekhyun turned to them with a raised brow.

“I do.”

“That’s hot.” Baekhyun gave him an approving nod that was accompanied by a smirk. “You should teach me sometime.”

“Shut up.” Jongin rolled his eyes.

“Maybe one day,” Yixing laughed.

 

The breeze was unforgivingly refreshing. The sun was bright over Eden, and Jongin shivered as he stepped out onto his balcony. The mug of steaming coffee was warm in his hands and somehow made the wind colder. He burnt his tongue as he tried to take a sip and hissed.

The blanket of mist from the early morning had been peeled away as he looked to the sky. He caught sight of what appeared to be a moving shadow along the border that then circled N.E’s chains.

He stepped back inside to retrieve his binoculars from the hook by the sliding door before he stepped back outside. He blew on his coffee before he brought it to his lips. It wasn’t as searing this time; more of a pleasant warmth down his throat. His first look through the binoculars was awkward. His aim was off and his line of sight was disjointed, but he soon readjusted his gaze, correcting himself.

The angel’s wings were hard to miss. the gunmetal glistening in the sun. Jongin was in awe.

He couldn’t see the angel’s eyes from this far away, but there was no doubt that they were intense. Even Yixing, who gave him a kind a smile and had even kinder eyes had moments of intensity. He thought that Yixing would have fit being an angel well.

 _Beautiful_ , he thought as the angel hovered in the air, wings moving gracefully as he inspected the ground below. It gave Jongin ample time to get a better look. Short, blond cropped hair that bordered the line of being silver reminded Jongin of the flowers Chanyeol kept on his desk. There was something about the angel’s presence that made it hard for him to tear his eyes away. He was captivated and Jongin continued to watch him soar the sky before getting ready for work.

There were missed calls from his brother when he got home. He ignored them and opened the messages that Chanyeol had sent him, instead.

 

**_From: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Prototype]_

_Hey, I have a prototype I need to test out._

_Want to come with?_

**_To: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Prototype]_

_Will I die?_

**_From: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Prototype]_

_Maybe_

 

He met Chanyeol at the Central Anchor. It was bigger than majority of the buildings in the centre of town and living on the outskirts meant only seeing it from a distance. It wasn’t the first time he’s been this close, but it still amazes him. Chanyeol noticed. He ruffled Jongin’s hair affectionately. Jongin swatted his hand away.

Chanyeol lead him through his research facility and up toward the rooftop. The view was impeccable from this high up. They stood at the top of the building and looked down out onto the busy city below. The neon wiring was vibrant even at this time of day and Jongin wondered what the view would be like from the city above.

“It’s not as big as the one I have on N.E, but it gets the job done,” Chanyeol said with his hands on his his hips.

Jongin scoffed. “I’m sure N.E is full of luxuries.”

Chanyeol shrugged. “Nothing worth bragging about, though.”

"That contradicts what you just said,” Jongin grumbled.

“As if my career is anything to brag about.”

Jongin begged to differ. “So,” Jongin began. “What was this potentially life threatening prototype you wanted to test out?”

Chanyeol’s eyes lit up and his face blossomed with excitement. He crouched down to unzip the duffel bag he had collected from his lab before they made their way to the rooftop. He pulled out a harness that had a jetpack-like piece of machinery on the back of it.

“A jet pack?” Jongin asked with hesitation as he took it from Chanyeol’s hands. The metal was smooth under his fingertips and was cool to the touch. Despite its appearance, it was extremely lightweight.

“Nope,” Chanyeol sing-songed as he began to put the contraption on.

He slid his arms through the harness and secured it into place. It hugged his upper body like a vest and made Chanyeol’s shoulders look broader than they already were. An aqua circle resided over the area where Chanyeol’s heart would be. Jongin looked back at him with a single brow raised.

“Nice getup,” Jongin offered.

“The design is still in the works, okay?” Chanyeol puffed out his cheeks. He then cracked his knuckles before he touched at the circle with his fingertips.

Aqua bled from the circle and toward Chanyeol’s back. The colour collected in swirling pools of blue at his shoulder blades and there was a shit-eating-grin on Chanyeol’s face as wings emerged from the back of the harness. They spanned wide, with each wing being nearly as tall as Chanyeol’s own body. They reflected the light, almost chromatic in appearance and the wings arched off of Chanyeol’s back as if it were part of him.

“Cool, right?” Chanyeol beamed. “I call it Project Phoenix. The end goal is to have the wings repair itself with nanobots when damaged. Although I do plan on streamlining the design a little more.”

“So this is what you’ve been working on while you were away?” Jongin asked.

“Yeah. This is one of the first few models, though. It _should_ be safe enough for a proper flight test.”

“Should be?” Jongin narrowed his eyes.

“Do you trust me or what?”

“You know I do.”

“Exactly. Now put it on and let's test it out.”

Jongin put on the harness as per Chanyeol’s instructions. He pressed the circle against his chest and after the soft, barely audible _‘click’_ , wings unfurled from the back of the harness. Despite their size, they were extremely lightweight. Jongin looked over his shoulder and his lips parted in admiration of Chanyeol’s hard work.

“Impressive.”

“You haven’t seen the best part,” Chanyeol began. With a running start, Chanyeol leapt off the edge of the building and dove toward the ground before he projected himself back toward the sky with a beat of his wings. He called out to Jongin over his shoulder. “Come on, Jongin!”

Jongin drew in a breath as he took a few steps backward. He rocked on his heels before following in Chanyeol’s lead. He sprinted toward the edge of the building, and although his body begged him not to jump, the adrenaline and sheer excitement that ran through his veins propelled him over the edge and into the air.

He grunted at the sudden whiplash when he was stopped from falling by the wings spreading wide. His legs jerked and he was winded for a split second before he shook his head to rid himself of the daze.

The wings moved as if they were an extension of himself. He glided through the air, and caught up to Chanyeol, who waited for him some distance away. When he was close enough, Chanyeol began to fly again. Jongin followed in Chanyeol’s wake as they passed over the city.

“So? What do you think?” Chanyeol shouted.

“This is amazing!” Jongin yelled back.

Chanyeol grinned; bright like the sun.

Jongin’s inexperience in flying surfaced every now and then. There were times when he turned too sharply and flew directly into a swarm of floaters that managed to drift upward with the breeze. Chanyeol’s laugh was light and airy with the wind. Jongin’s soon followed.

They headed toward the Central Anchor’s chains and flew alongside the length of it at a rapid pace, gaining speed with each passing second. Night fell gradually over Eden and with dusk brought the slow glow of aqua beneath them. It was an incredibly beautiful sight.

Above the wind rushing through his ears, Jongin felt a sinking feeling in his stomach when a gut-wrenching stutter came from over his shoulder.

“Yeol.” There was a slight tremor in his voice. It didn't seem that Chanyeol could hear him. He tried again, this time with a louder shout. “Yeol! Something’s wrong!”

Jongin had finally gotten Chanyeol’s attention. The latter looked back at him and Jongin felt his stomach twist when panic washed over Chanyeol’s features.

 _‘Oh no’_ , Chanyeol mouthed. “Jongin!” he then shouted.

Jongin was dragged downward by some sort of deadweight and he could feel the mechanism falter in his right wing. Within seconds it had stopped working all together. The left was barely keeping him upright, but it too slowly began to deteriorate.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Jongin cursed. “Chanyeol!” he yelled as he began to fall from the sky.

Chanyeol rushed through the air and extended out a hand for Jongin to take. “Shit- Hold on!”

Jongin desperately tried to grab hold of Chanyeol’s hand and by some miracle, he managed to get his hand into Chanyeol’s. There was a split second of relief.

Chanyeol clawed at his hand to try and keep him close, but his grip slipped and Jongin slipped from his grasp.

Jongin plummeted toward Eden. He heard Chanyeol’s frantic cries in the distance, but as he looked down, the ground was coming at him fast. He was scared. He couldn’t die like this.

He wondered how fast he was falling. He tried to pray, but his mind was blank. Jongin closed his eyes. His heart felt as if it was going to stop.

There was a _bang_ before he was hit with force. Pain radiated from his back and Jongin hissed. He was disoriented, confused. The impact of his fall should have been greater than that.

The wind combed through his hair. Jongin opened his eyes.

Jongin was in the sky. But the he looked down at a pair of wings falling to the ground below, seemingly from his own back. His brows knit together at the feeling of arms around his waist and he looked over his shoulder. He first caught sight of working wings, and then the face of an angel.

Intense eyes looked back at him; sharp, but with extreme clarity. Somewhere there, Jongin saw concern.

“Are you alright?”

Jongin inhaled deeply before he let out a shaky breath. “Y-Yeah.”

The angel didn’t make any further comments but looked for a safe place to land.

“Sehun!” came Chanyeol’s distinguishable voice. His voice was laced with relief and caught up to them. “Fuck, I owe you one. Land on the top of my building, yeah?”

Sehun nodded. With his arms secure around Jongin’s waist, he followed Chanyeol toward the heart of the city.

Jongin had never been more happy to be back on a solid surface. With shaky legs he staggered forward before he fell to his knees.

Chanyeol landed seconds later. He pressed at the aqua circle on his chest repeatedly and Jongin watched with blurred vision as the wings retracted back into the harness, aqua rivulets returning back to the plate soon after.

He was then enveloped in a crushing hug. Jongin gasped for air as Chanyeol whispered apologies against his skin.

“Fuck, Jongin, I’m so sorry. I thought these were safe enough. I even made sure of it yesterday by running smaller tests. If I knew this was going to happen I wouldn’t have taken you,” Chanyeol rambled.

“Hey, hey. I’m fine,” Jongin said. “I’m okay.”

“Well you wouldn’t have been okay if Sehun wasn’t around to save you.” Chanyeol let out a deep sigh. “Looks like I have more work to do.”

“When you said that there was a chance of dying I didn’t think you were serious,” he joked.

“Don’t joke about that, Jongin,” Chanyeol whined. “I wouldn’t know what to do if… if you-”

“Hey,” Jongin pinched at his cheek before he cupped it with his palm. It was an intimate gesture, but it seemed to calm Chanyeol down a bit. “I said that I’m fine.”

“Chanyeol?” The angel, Sehun, questioned. His arms were at his side and his wings retracted against his body. “Is everything alright?”

“I think so. Thanks for saving our asses.”

“It’s no problem. It’s my duty to help those in need.”

Chanyeol huffed. “Drop the formalities, Sehun, it’s okay. I’m not Minseok.”

“If you wish. I’m sure that you don’t need me to remind you about safety protocol, but please be careful next time—and maybe test prototypes in a safer environment.”

“Yes, yes.” Chanyeol waved a dismissive hand despite the danger they were just in. “I know, I know. Do me a favour, though?”

“Hm?”

Chanyeol clapped his hands together and raised them over his head, as if he were praying. “Please don’t let Boss Man find out. He’d throw my ass off the border if he knew about today.”

Sehun’s lips thinned. He looked back and forth between Chanyeol and Jongin and sighed. He folded his arms across his chest. “I’ll let you go this one time. Consider my lips sealed.”

“Ah! Thanks, Sehun. I _really_ owe you one. Let me know if you need anything upgraded and I’ll bump you up to the beginning of the waitlist.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.” He gave Chanyeol a polite smile before he glanced at Jongin. His eyes lingered for a moment before he looked away. “I should get going. Stay safe.”

“Will do.” Chanyeol saluted.

Sehun nodded. He crouched slightly before he leaped into the air. His wings extended out before he was propelled upward, hovering over the side of the building.

“Hey, uh, Sehun?” Jongin called out. Sehun looked his way. He stared back at Jongin with curious eyes. Jongin took in a breath. The wind blew his fringe into his eyes. He combed it away to stare back at him. “Thank you.”

A faint smile crept onto Sehun’s lips. His wings beat strongly against the wind as he soared back into the sky. Jongin watched as his figure grew further away.

“Holy shit.” Jongin let out a laugh. “I know I almost died but—that was kind of amazing?”

“Of course you would call a near death experience amazing.”

“That view was to die for.”

“Stop with the jokes.” Chanyeol punched at his shoulder.

 

Jongin kicked his sliding door open. He hadn’t bothered to take off his shoes at the door and instead toed them off once he stepped onto his balcony, almost kicking one of his sneakers off the edge of it.

“You look exhausted.” Yixing commented. He had a book in his lap and the radio played softly in the background.

“I am,” Jongin exhaled. “Both mentally and physically.”

“Rough day?” Baekhyun asked.

“Yeah. Almost died,” Jongin said casually.

 _“What?!”_ came from the joint chorus of Baekhyun and Yixing’s voices.

“Mind explaining how that happened?” Yixing raised a brow.

Jongin exhaled as he sat down. He folded his legs underneath his thighs and leaned back onto his palms. “I have a friend who works for the government. He asked me to test out the new wings he’s designing for the angels and long story short, the ones I had malfunctioned on me.”

“Shit,” was all Baekhyun had to offer.

“I take it someone came to your rescue?” asked Yixing.

Jongin nodded. “The angel that was on this side of the border the other night. He caught me mid-air and took me to safety. I got lucky, to be honest.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re safe,” Baekhyun said. “Now tell us how do you know someone who works in the government and also, where did you fly off to?”

“Uh,” Jongin began. “He’s a childhood friend. He basically lived with me for periods at a time when his parents were working up in N.E. As for where we flew to… We went around the chains of the Central Anchor and towards N.E.”

“Did you see N.E with your own eyes?”

“Glimpses of it, yes. Before I fell, that is.”

“Beer?” Yixing offered and broke the minute silence that settled over them.

“Yeah, thanks.” Jongin wiped his palms before he caught the can. “Baek?”

“No, I’m okay,” Baekhyun declined.

Jongin studied his face as he opened the can. Baekhyun looked to the sky with somewhat of a faraway look in his eyes. It reminded Jongin of how Yixing looked when he said that it was dream to be in the military.

“I want to make it up there at least once before I die.” Baekhyun’s voice was soft. “I just want a taste of it.”

Jongin almost said, _‘I can take you’_ , but refrained from doing so. His pride swelled thick in his throat and he choose to stay silent rather than talk to Chanyeol about visiting. N.E was where his brother was, and Jongin wasn’t ready to face him yet.

“Why don’t you climb the anchors, then?” Jongin suggested lightly, not being serious in the slightest.

Another wave of silence washed over them. Jongin counted five luminous stones by fifth avenue before he looked back at Baekhyun. He mulled over Jongin’s words, as if he were actually considering it.

“Hey, you know I was joking, right?” Jongin said.

Baekhyun blinked, as if snapping out of a trance. He let out a dry laugh. “I know you were.”

Jongin and Yixing, and probably even Baekhyun himself, weren't convinced.

“Not that I condone this,” Yixing started. “But if you were going to climb them, it would be incredibly stupid–especially with all the chaos that’s going on at the moment. However, if you planned it right, it could be achievable.”

“What do you mean?”

“There were two attacks this month alone, on smaller anchors south of the city. I think the rebellion are trying to rid Eden of the weaker links before going for the Compass Points. They’re not really discreet about their attacks, either. If you plan your climb at the right time–at the same time the rebellion bomb another anchor–you could probably make it up in time to explore and then come back down before anyone catches you.”

Yixing’s plan wasn’t exactly foolproof, but it was enough to convince Baekhyun.

“Holy shit, Yixing. You’re a genius.” Baekhyun then got up onto his feet and slammed his hands down onto the railings. “I’m going to do it. I’m going to climb an anchor.”

“Baekhyun, you do realise that you’ll get into huge trouble if you got caught, right?” Jongin tried to reason with him.

“I never actually said that you should do it, Baek,” Yixing said.

“Sometimes you gotta take risks to live life. Jongin almost _died_ today but flew over Eden. I could get in trouble, but it’s worth it if it means I get to see what N.E is like.”

“Baekhyun…”

“Look, I’m not saying that you have to come with me. I’m fine with going on my own,” Baekhyun huffed.

Jongin’s lips pressed into a thin line. Baekhyun was stubborn, and now that the idea was in his head, there was no way that he would take ‘no’ for an answer. If he were to be caught, the least that he would get away with would be a fine. But jail time was the other, more probable outcome. Jongin closed his eyes. There wasn’t a lot he told Baekhyun or Yixing about his personal life, but at least if he were there he could buffer the blow if they did happen to get caught.

“I’ll go with you.” Jongin said in a rush. There was no taking it back now.

“What? Really?”

“I’ll go with you,” Jongin repeated himself. “Someone needs to make sure that you’re not too reckless while you’re up there.”

Baekhyun’s face blossomed into a smile. His eyes glimmered and he gripped at the railing of his balcony so tight that his knuckles turned white. “I could kiss you right now, Jongin. You too, Yixing,” he added for extra measure.

Yixing laughed and sent Baekhyun a playful wink. He brought his beer to his lips. “Climbing those aren’t going to be easy, you know?”

“Don’t worry about that. Let me take care of it. Jongin may know some important people, but so do I. Are you sure you don’t want to come up with us, Xing?”

“I’ll pass. But I can look out for any trouble.”

Baekhyun nodded. “It’s decided then. We’re going to climb our way to the promised land.”

 

-

 

Chanyeol was busy. He had been unable to make it home for the past two weeks and Jongin had cleaned his apartment, as well as watered his plants in the time that he was gone. Screens showed advertisements on the motorway, reminding citizens to be safe in this time of unrest. Kim Junmyeon asked the people to trust the government. Kim Minseok asked for faith in the military. Jongin still thought that they looked tired.

Baekhyun was home earlier than usual. He was busy on his laptop as they sat out on their balconies. His face was laced with concentration, bottom lip between his teeth in focus and Jongin let him be. Yixing struggled to find signal despite turning the radio knobs for several minutes, giving up shortly after. Jongin sat back against the wall and closed his eyes, fingers loosely grasped around the can of beer in his hand.

Jongin’s brows knit together. White noise began to ring in his ears before being followed by static. His eyes flickered open. Yixing was frowning, but it didn’t seem like the sound was coming from his radio alone. Even Baekhyun seemed to be having trouble. He pressed at the spacebar repeatedly, cursing at the blackened screen of his laptop.

Darkness washed over the city. The luminous stones were the only source of light as Eden plummeted into darkness. The advertisements on the side of the buildings and over the motorways fell to black. It was eerily quiet.

Jongin pushed himself to stand. He got up with a grunt and braced his hands on the balcony railings as he looked out into the darkness. A second wave of white noise hit. It pulsed in a wave that caused them to wince.

“What the fuck is going on?” Baekhyun stood and mimicked Jongin’s stance.

“No idea…”

The city began to come alive. Static streamed out of Yixing’s radio and was also plastered over the billboards and screens around the city. Eden was submerged into a sea of incoherency and confusion. The screens began to glitch, and slowly, something illegible began to appear.

The red text displayed around the city contrasted against the aqua they were all familiar with. Big, bold letters that wrote, _‘Watch the chains. Watch the skies. The rebellion will rise’_ , loomed over them. It was everywhere they looked.

The screens glitched once more, only for a new messaged to be displayed over Eden. ‘ _D-4. E-POINT’,_ stared back at Jongin. His palms began to sweat. The rebellion had never been this ambitious in revealing their plans. Spray-painted messages along the side of subway trains, on the roads and along the side of buildings were nothing compared to this.

“Our chance looks like it came a lot sooner than expected-”

“Wait,” Jongin interjected. “This soon? Don’t you think we should- I don’t know, think about this a little more?”

“Backing out?” Baekhyun taunted.

“No,” Jongin said defensively. “I’m not. We just need to be smart about this.”

“I’m fully aware of that,” Baekhyun said as he crouched back down to examine his computer. He tapped at keys a few times before the screen came back to life. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure everything out.”

Music filled the air; Yixing’s radio was working again. Jongin sighed and reached for the beer he had set down earlier. It was warm.

 

-

_D-3_

 

**_From: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Miss me? ;-) ]_

_Hey._

_I’m not coming home this Sunday_

**_To: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Miss me? ;-) ]_

_Busy?_  

**_From: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Miss me? ;-) ]_

_Yeah_

_Everyone up here has been_

_freaking out over the whole_

_D-DAY thing_

**_To: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Miss me? ;-) ]_

_I can imagine. It must be stressful_

_Please tell me you’re resting_

_enough_

_And that you’re actually eating_

_something_

**_From: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Miss me? ;-) ]_

_It is stressful. Hopefully after D-DAY is_

_Over, they’ll let me sleep for a month_

_Don’t worry. I’m eating and sleeping fine_

_They wont let me work after hours :-(_

  ** _To: Chanyeol_**

_[Subject: Miss me? ;-) ]_

_That’s probably for the best_  

**_From: Chanyeol_ **

_[Subject: Miss me? ;-) ]_

_:-((((((_

 

_-_

 

 

_D-2_

 

Jongin was restless. He thought of their climb, the wind, the world above, and the danger of being caught. When he looked through the binoculars in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, he saw an angel by the border. Blonde hair glinted in the light and against the darkness. Jongin recognised the angel as Sehun, who saved him from falling. Although there was something about Sehun that captivated him, he hoped that Sehun wouldn’t be there when they climbed.

 

-

_D-1_

 

It was hard to sit through a full day at work. Jongin watched as time ticked by excruciatingly slowly. He wasn’t sure if he wanted it to go faster, or slow down further. The thought of the D-DAY and their journey to N.E caused his stomach to twist. Jongin couldn’t differentiate the feeling of anxiousness and anticipation.

 

He left work early, unable to focus on anything other than time passing by

 

-

 

**_From: Baekhyun_ **

_[Subject: D-Day]_

_Dress warm_

 

It was close to midnight when Jongin stepped out of his apartment and locked the door behind him. It was quiet. The frantic beating of his heart almost flooded the empty hallway as he stared down at the scuffing of his boots. The familiar rattle of baekhyun’s keys caused him to look over. There was an excited glint in his eyes.

“Let’s go,” he said as he shoved his keys into his pocket. “Yixing is already waiting for us in the car park.”

Yixing nodded to whatever was playing out of his car speakers when they arrived. He had a cap on, and Jongin could barely see his eyes when he looked up to greet them. “Ready?” he asked.

The roads weren’t completely empty, but traffic thinned out as they strayed further from the Central Anchor. Apparently this wasn’t Baekhyun’s first time venturing out past Eden, Jongin found out as Baekhyun read off the map in his hands. It was wrinkled and a coffee stain obscured the bottom half of it, but Baekhyun assured him that it was fine. Jongin had doubts, but leaned back into the seat anyway.

It was a long drive, but it was the safest option. W-Point was more than two hours away from home. It was far past what was visible for the naked eye from Eden and was one of the four Compass Points. They were rumoured to be the least guarded since they were buried deeper into the ground, which made them harder to uproot.

Jongin felt at the wind when he stuck his hand out the window after rolling it down. The air somehow felt different. He looked over his shoulder and could barely see the aqua glow of Eden behind them. He took in a breath of crisp air. They were really doing this.

He fell asleep somewhere past the halfway mark on their drive to W-Point. A hand at his knee coaxed him awake. His vision cleared into Baekhyun grinning at him. When he looked up at the rear view mirror, Yixing met his eyes.

“Rise and shine, Jongin,” Baekhyun said as he turned back around. “Take a look out the window.”

Jongin looked out and couldn’t help the slight parting of his lips and the soft, “Woah,” that followed.

“So fucking cool, right?” Baekhyun said with the same awe.

The wind stirred. It picked up at the sandy terrain and although they were still some distance away, the dust did little to veil the anchor that emerged from the ground. The chain itself was breathtakingly enormous; bigger than those of the anchors of Eden and Jongin wondered how big the W-Point anchor was on its own. He couldn’t see it in its entirety but the top half alone rivalled the height of Chanyeol’s research facility.

The chains swayed slightly; slowly. Luminous stones embedded in the sand reflected against the metal like the ocean. Jongin had never seen the ocean and had only read about it in books but wondered if this was anything close to what it would look like.

“Alright,” Yixing said once they were close enough. “We’re here.”

Jongin craned his head to look up once he got out of Yixing’s car. New Eden looked so far away. Climbing was going to be a challenge.

“How the hell are we going to get up there?” Jongin thought out loud. “If we were going to _literally_ climb this thing-” He was interrupted by Baekhyun’s scoff and the following, _‘think fast’_. Jongin caught the bag thrown his way with a grunt.

“Go on,” Baekhyun prompted. “Open it.”

Jongin hesitated before he unzipped the bag. Inside resided an earpiece, a pair of scope glasses to protect their eyes, as well as a harpoon. Jongin’s eyes widened.

Harpoons were hybridised pieces of technology. They were often mistaken for firearms, but there wasn’t any mistaking the claw-like hook that hung from the end of the barrel. The rebellion were known for using harpoons to climb the anchors with ease. Jongin hadn't seen a harpoon in person before, and now he had one in his hands.

“Where did you even get these?” Jongin asked as he gave Baekhyun an incredulous look.

“I know a guy downtown. He does a lot of under the counter stuff so I traded some of the cassette tapes and vinyls from my Grandmother’s collection for them. He’s into shit like that.”

“Isn’t that… illegal?”

“Yep,” Baekhyun affirmed. “Sure is.”

“There isn’t anything about any of this that _is_ legal,” Yixing reminded them.

He had a point.

Baekhyun had always been a little reckless; impulsive. Jongin had never asked, but he wondered what kind of people Baekhyun knew. He had never thought about it until now.

Yixing hooked in his earpiece and rummaged around in the boot of his car for a pair of binoculars. They look expensive. Probably military grade.

“It’s going to be cold on the way up,” Yixing commented.

“We’ll be fine,” Baekhyun waved him off. “A little cold won’t hurt anyone.”

“Be safe,” Yixing reminded them.

“We’ll be _fine_ ,” Baekhyun repeated himself. “Don’t get too lonely without us.”

Yixing laughed and shook his head. “I’ll try not to.”

The W-point Anchor was more intimidating up close. It loomed over them in a different energy than the overarching advertisements of Eden’s motorways. It was ominous, almost. Jongin’s nerves had yet to settle, but Baekhyun’s excitement eased the tingles under his skin. He pulled the harpoon out of the holster off of his back and felt the weight of it in his hand. It was hefty, and Jongin pointed to the anchor in practice.

“See? You’re already a natural.”

“I have no idea what I’m doing,” Jongin sighed.

“Same. But we’ll be fine. I heard that shooting is the easy part. Making sure you don't fall is another thing.” Baekhyun laughed. “You wanna go first?”

Jongin shook his head. “I’ll follow.”

Baekhyun shrugged, “Alright.” He twirled the Harpoon in his hand, almost too naturally before gripping it again. He widened his stance and took in a breath as he pointed the barrel to the sky. He aimed with his breath caught in his lungs before shooting on his exhale. The kickback made Baekhyun stagger. His footing slipped slightly, but regained his balance within seconds. The hook surged through the air, before it wrapped around a chain loop some twenty metres away.

Yixing whistled. He leaned back against the boot of his car. “Nice shot.”

Baekhyun winked before he pulled the trigger for the second time. When the wire began to feed back into the harpoon, Baekhyun started to walk up the Anchor’s chains. He did it with ease and Jongin had seen Baekhyun exert more effort trying to open a can of beer.

Jongin took steady breaths in and out before he followed suit. He startled after he pulled the trigger. He was winded and his heels were pushed back into the sand and he hissed in discomfort at the slight pain in his wrist and shoulder. His aim wasn't as good as Baekhyun's, but it was good enough to get the claw wound around a chain a few loops down from Baekhyun's. He let out an exhale and pulled at the harpoon to make sure that it was safe enough before he began to ascend.

He caught up to Baekhyun with little time wasted. Baekhyun stood in the centre of the chain with enough room for Jongin to stand next to him.

"It's nice up here, huh?" Baekhyun said.

Jongin looked out onto the horizon. "Yeah. It is."

"Makes me wonder what those rich fucks have it up like in New Eden."

Jongin snorted. "Well there's only one way to find out."

They continued to climb into the night. The breeze caressed at Jongin's skin with familiarity. They stopped at another chain–took in the the view– then aimed the harpoon higher to take another shot.

"I think we have around two shots left," Baekhyun called out. He was a few paces above Jongin and his scarf blew with the wind. He hung onto the harpoon with one hand and used the other to run a hand through his hair.

When Jongin looked down, the luminous stones by the anchor's base shone like stars. It was still dark out, and he could barely see Yixing's car against the darkness, but the aqua reflecting against it reminded him that it was still there.

Soon enough, there was no chain left. The claw of Jongin's harpoon breached the rubble of N.E's base. He tugged at it before he zip-lined his way to follow Baekhyun's lead. His breath was caught deep in his lungs. The bubbling of adrenaline, anticipation and excitement in his system made his head spin.

Baekhyun stretched his hand out for Jongin to take, and with his hand firmly in Baekhyun's, they hauled themselves over the border.

Jongin laughed. They _actually_ pulled it off. Baekhyun cackled and slapped Jongin between the shoulder blades.

"Holy shit," Baekhyun breathed out, eyes looking so alive behind the red lens of his scope glasses.

"We did it," Jongin echoed.

He looked down to the world below. Eden seemed so far away, like a different world; out of touch. An ocean of aqua flickered beneath them.

 _"Good job boys."_ Yixing's voice chimed through the earpiece. _"What are you going to do now?"_

"I have no idea," Jongin said, still in awe.

"We’re going to explore. But first–" Baekhyun clapped his hands together, "–we should celebrate."

Buildings rose like pillars of light in a sea of darkness. They rose higher than the ones Baekhyun and Jongin were used to. He followed Baekhyun as they crept along the quiet streets and back alleys along the fringe of the city, careful not to alert any angels that potentially lingered nearby.

With luck, they made it to the main road without being spotted. The roads were busy, but it wasn’t as crowded as it was on Eden. It was clear that they were different, looking somewhat out of place against the lavishness of New Eden.

There weren’t clusters of aqua within the cracks of the pavement, no luminous stone growing off the side of light posts and there were no floaters to be seen. The neon wiring that they were used to was plastered all over the city. Jongin thought that maybe they were brighter here.

“Come on.” Baekhyun tugged at Jongin’s sleeve. “We need to change of out these clothes. We stand out too much.”

They stumbled into a nearby store. It was cluttered with trinkets and racks of clothes that flooded the walls from the ground up. A woman sat by the counter toward the front of the store. She held a cigarette between her fingertips and raised a brow when she spotted them. Her eyes were a stunning shade of emerald green that contrasted against her pale skin and the red rouge of her lips.

“Can I help you boys?” she asked as she gave them a once-over.

“Just looking for some clothes for a night out,” Baekhyun began. He slung an arm over Jongin’s shoulder. “My mate’s getting married tomorrow and we need something for a bachelor party.”

Jongin was caught off guard, but was impressed with Baekhyun’s acting. “Yeah.” He let out a laugh that he hoped didn’t sound nervous. “It’s my last night of freedom.”

“I see,” the woman smiled. “Anything in my store will be suitable for the occasion. Provided that you can pay for it, that is."

Jongin winced. Baekhyun laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be able to afford it,” he said.

“Well then,” she waved a hand, “Help yourself.”

Jongin was almost swallowed by the business of the store as they passed the counter. Baekhyun was a few steps ahead and headed deeper into the store to find something that would fit them.

“I didn’t like the way that lady looked at us,” Baekhyun grumbled as he began to sort through the racks. “Like we weren’t worth her time or whatever.” He blew his fringe out of his eyes, annoyed.

“We don’t really look like we can afford anything in this store.” Jongin rubbed at his nape before he pushed at a pocket-watch that hung over his head with his index finger. It swayed almost hypnotically. “I barely have one hundred dollars on me.”

“Our first round of drinks can be on you, then. I can cover everything else.”

Jongin glanced at the price tag of a nearby waistcoat. His eyes widened. “This waistcoat is one hundred dollars on it’s own. How the hell are we going to afford all of this?”

Baekhyun reached into his bag and flashed Jongin his wallet. He had more money than Jongin had imagined. “Turns out my grandmother’s stuff was worth a lot more than what i originally thought.” He dropped his wallet back into his bag. “And I had a few friends that owed me money. I chased them up on it over the last few weeks.”

“You should have told me to bring money. All you said was to dress warm.”

“It’s fine, Jongin. Think of it as a thank you for coming up here with me. You didn’t have to, you know?”

“I know.”

They locked eyes and Baekhyun gave him a tender smile before his attention was back onto finding clothes. “Now pick out what you want, we have the rest of the night ahead of us.”

The woman at the counter looked pleasantly surprised at the sum of money Baekhyun handed over when they made their purchase.

Baekhyun gave her a coy smile, “Keep the change,” to which she chuckled, impressed.

After hastily getting changed at the back of the store, their next goal was to find a bar. The slacks Jongin had picked out felt expensive against his skin, as did the satin finish of the black button down Baekhyun handed him. Baekhyun was also elegantly dressed; in shades of grey with a skinny, navy blue tie.

Baekhyun, as charming as he was, convinced the store owner to let them stash their bags under the counter and promised to pick them up when the night was over.

Looking out of place was no longer a problem. They blended into the crowd with ease. Men were dressed finely in suits while women showcased expensive dresses and jewellery that seemed to be the norm on New Eden.

Whilst walking amongst the sea of people headed toward the heart of the city, they stumbled across a corner bar and entered before being swept away by the crowd. It was small, and Jongin ducked his head under the parted curtain to take a seat at the stool provided. Although the curtain wasn’t anything spectacular, it drowned out the business of N.E’s streets, secluding the bar off into a private space.

Baekhyun settled onto the stool next to him. His fingers danced across the counter. It was a slick black with what appeared to be star fragments embedded into it. It glittered under the pink-hued lights that also washed over their skin.

The bartender floated over. He had glowing pink eyes that matched the neon and smiled at them politely. The name-tag on his chest read, _‘Lu Han’._ Baekhyun ordered something off the menu overhead before Jongin slid over the hundred dollar note from his wallet.

The alcohol was rich; warm down Jongin’s throat. It was almost fluorescent under the light–like Lu Han’s eyes–and Jongin, for a brief second, was mesmerised.

Round two included sweet tasting shots of liquor that left Jongin’s lips feeling sticky. He swiped his tongue over them, aware of Lu Han’s eyes on him.

The pink flush of Baekhyun’s skin was apparent under the city lights. Once they were back onto the street they were engulfed by the breeze. Jongin reached for the top buttons of his shirt and undid the first two, sighing after doing so.

“My mate downtown said that there’s a good optical place near Capitol Theatre. The binoculars here are better than the ones we have back home. I was thinking we should get some.”

“Baekhyun, you don’t have to get me anything-“

“It’ll be the last thing I’ll splurge on,” Baekhyun interjected before walking ahead. He glanced up at the buildings. “I think it would be nice to have something to remember this night by.”

Jongin glanced at Baekhyun. A childlike twinkle glimmered in Baekhyun’s eyes as he took in the sights of the city, the people and the sky. He looked happy.

 _“You guys having fun?”_ Yixing asked after the static in their earpieces subsided.

“You should have come, Xing.”

_“Maybe next time.”_

It was as if the city of New Eden never ended. The roads spanned far and wide, lined with expensive stores, bars and restaurants. Although N.E did remind Jongin of home, the one thing that was different was the sky. The sky was clearer, stars brighter. It was barely visible from Eden, even from their balconies.

“Hold on,” Baekhyun stopped before peering up at a sign overhead. He wandered inside and left Jongin following suit.

Jongin looked at the sign before he stepped inside. A clean font that read, _‘Antiques’_ , glowed back at him.

In contrast from the clothing store they had entered earlier in the night, they were met with extreme clarity. Glass panels hovered in the air, neatly lined with screens, radios and other electronics. Few cassette tapes were kept behind the counter, alongside other valuables.

“We should get Yixing something,” said Baekhyun.

“A radio?”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

The store clerk watched them from behind the counter, but left them to their own devices. Radios were displayed on the floating shelf to the left and they approached with light steps.

There was a small, but impressive collections of radios displayed before them. Jongin had seen few models similar to these in the markets back home, but they were nowhere near as immaculate and well polished.Then again, he was more than certain that the ones sold in Eden’s markets were counterfeit.

Baekhyun examined the radio at the end of the display. It was by no means the most extravagant, but simple in design. It was slightly bigger than the one Yixing already owned—and was similar in appearance, too—but after Baekhyun played with the dials to find a running station, the sound that streamed out from it was clearer; sharper.

“I think this is the one.”

“Are you sure he’s going to like that one?”

“I’m sure,” Baekhyun nodded. “Yixing is a bit of an old soul. I know he’ll appreciate the sentimentality.”

The store clerk thanked them for their purchase with a bow, and then they were back onto the street.

The optical store Baekhyun had mentioned before was around the corner and had a similar layout to the antique shop they had just visited. The floating shelves hovered over the dark interior of the store, making the items more pronounced. Binoculars were extremely popular on Eden for those who still liked to watch the sky, but it seemed that perhaps New Eden was fascinated by the city below.

Along the walls were screens with scenes of Eden’s aqua ocean from above and was exactly what Baekhyun and Jongin had seen when they had stood along the border.

Jongin strayed from Baekhyun’s side. He wandered along the walls and raised a brow at the telescopic-monocles and goggles that rested side by side on the display. He peered into a few of them, but found them uncomfortable to wear. He settled for something simple. The binoculars were black, with gold embellishments along the side. A gold chain was attached to the sides so it could be worn around the neck and Jongin was pleased with the weight of it in his hand.

Baekhyun was deciding between goggles or binoculars but decided on the latter. The chrome was highly reflective and matched Baekhyun’s personality quite well, “Flashy, yet tasteful,” as Baekhyun put it.

With their purchases to remember the night safely wrapped and in bags, they continued to explore the city for a while longer before deciding to head home.

Making their way back to the clothing store they visited at the beginning of the night was a bit of a challenge since they were still unfamiliar with the layout of the city. But after a period of aimless wandering, they managed to make it to the fringe of the city and entered the clothing shop to be greeted by the woman at the counter.

She gave them a pleasant smile. “Finished for the night?”

“We’re all partied out,” Baekhyun chuckled. “Thank you for looking after our belongings.”

“It was no problem,” she said whilst hauling their bags over the counter. “Here you go.”

Baekhyun and Jongin collected their bags and slung them back over their shoulders.

“Young man,” she began as they began to walk back out the door. Her eyes were on Jongin. “Congratulations on your wedding.”

“Thank you,” Jongin bowed his head slightly, making note of how her gaze travelled to their bags.

The back alleys of New Eden were dark, and hid them well. But there was an unsettling feeling in Jongin’s stomach.

“Alright, Xing, we’re coming home.” Baekhyun said into the earpiece. “Let us know if there’s any trouble.”

_“Gotcha.”_

“Baekhyun,” Jongin whispered.

“What?”

“Do you think that there’s a possibility that the lady at the store looked through our bags?”

“Why?” Baekhyun looked over his shoulder. “Do you think she did?”

“Maybe… she kept looking at them when we left.”

“Shit,” Baekhyun hissed. “I didn’t think about that. If she saw the harpoons in out bags, we’re fucked. We have to get out of here ASAP.”

“Agreed.”

With quickened steps they made their way to the border. The sun was beginning to rise, and the luminous stones on Eden began dwindle back to their rock like state; aqua becoming duller as the minutes passed.

If they had wings, descending from N.E would be a lot easier than harpooning their way back down. Jongin bagan to see how flawed their plan—their escape—was.

“ _Guys,_ ” came Yixing’s voice.

“This better be good news-” Baekhyun began but was interrupted.

_“There’s an angel coming your way.”_

“Fuck,” Baekhyun hissed. “Come on, Jongin. We have to go.”

Jongin reached for the harpoon in his bag. “How the hell are we supposed to get down from here?”

“Shoot, hook and swing. We don’t have time to think about it.”

Baekhyun was right. Jongin held his breath as he aimed downward at the W-Point Chain. He aimed with a closed eye and exhaled as he released the trigger. Baekhyun did the same. They were ready.

“Okay, jump on three?” Baekhyun asked and Jongin nodded.

“One,” Baekhyun said.

“Two.” Jongin’s grip on the harpoon tightened.

“Hold it,” came a third voice.

“Shit,” Baekhyun cursed under his breath.

Jongin’s jaw clenched. They were so _close_. They turned around slowly. The angel had just landed, wings retracting back into his harness and this time it was Jongin’s turn to curse. Sehun stared back at him, and Jongin thought that for a split second he looked surprised. It ebbed away quickly. It was clear that Sehun recognised him.

Sehun’s expression was hard to read; lips pressed into a thin line with brows slightly knitted. He reached for the gun at the holster under his arm and held it at eye level.

“Wait, wait!” Jongin exclaimed as he held his hands out in front of himself. “We’re not with the Rebellion.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Sehun said as he stepped closer. “You know the law. Climbing the anchors is illegal, Jongin.”

Jongin felt his pulse quicken.

Baekhyun’s head snapped toward him, “You _know_ an angel?!”

Jongin parted his lips slightly and narrowed his eyes. “You think discussing this is important right now?”

“Put your hands behind your head and get on your knees,” Sehun instructed.

Baekhyun shifted in Jongin's peripheral vision. He muttered under his breath as he settled onto his knees. “Jongin, give it up. We got caught. Just do what he says.”

Jongin’s pride swelled in his throat. “I’m not getting on my knees, Baekhyun.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.” Sehun took another step forward. “I’ll give you to the count of three.”

 _“Jongin,”_ Baekhyun hissed.

“One.”

 _“No,”_ Jongin hissed back.

“Two.” Another step forward.

They had gotten this far. They weren’t supposed to get caught. Jongin refused to be taken into custody and into questioning. Although it looked bad, they _weren’t_ part of the rebellion. Jongin clenched his jaw and swallowed thickly. He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. He supposed that his secret would come out sooner or later and perhaps this time, it would save his ass.

“Th–“

“You really don’t want to shoot us,” Jongin hoped that his argument sounded convincing and that his voice was as stable as he hoped it was. “You’ll get into trouble if you do.”

Sehun’s expression was stern. His aim didn’t waver. He didn’t talk, either. Jongin continued.

“I’m–” a deep breath in, “I’m Kim Junmyeon’s half-brother.” He didn’t look at Baekhyun as he spoke. “I don’t think he’d be pleased to know I got shot.”

Sehun raised a brow. “As the Government Representative’s brother, I’m sure that you’re aware of the law. Climbing the anchors is considered trespassing.” His eyes were sharp. “However, Kim Junmyeon has never mentioned having any half-brothers,” was the sentence that followed.

Jongin winced. “I know we fucked up by being up here, but, just– We’re family, I swear.”

Sehun frowned. It felt as if an eternity passed before the creasing between Sehun’s brows relaxed as he straightened his shoulders. He lowered his gun and put it back in his holster. “I’ll call base. But family or not, I’m still going to have to cuff you.”

“Fine,” Jongin said curtly.

The handcuffs were cold on Baekhyun and Jongin’s wrists as they sat along the edge of New Eden with their legs dangling over the border. Sehun stood some distance away and talked into a mouthpiece at his wrist.

“I have so many questions,” Baekhyun began. “First of all, how the fuck do _you_ ,” he pointed a finger at Jongin even with the cuffs are around his wrists, “Know an angel? And more importantly– Kim Junmyeon is your _brother?_ Why the fuck did you never say anything? His face is literally on the news twenty-four seven and you didn’t even mention a, _‘hey, that’s my brother’_ , or anything,” Baekhyun huffed.

“He’s my _half_ -brother,” Jongin corrected. “And I… didn’t think that it was important to mention if we were related or not. We don’t really talk much.”

“Touchy subject?” Baekhyun asked softly

Jongin let out a dry laugh before he looked off into the distance. “Something like that.”

“I’m sorry for asking.” There was sincerity in Baekhyun’s voice.

“Don’t be.”

“So,” Baekhyun tried again after some time, “How do you know the angel?”

“Remember when I got home the other night and said I almost died?” He waited for Baekhyun’s nod. “Sehun- the angel came to save me.”

“Do you reckon if I threw myself off the edge right now he’d save me?”

“You willing to try?”

“Not really, to be honest,” he said with a laugh.

Jongin couldn’t remember the last time he had watched the sun rise. He shifted uncomfortably, not too fond of the metal around his wrists, or the awkward bending of his arms. Baekhyun didn’t seem to mind it, and the same childlike awe that Jongin recognised from when he used to look up at N.E was on his face.

“It really is nice up here, huh?” Baekhyun said softly.

In the morning light, Eden was a washed out palette of soft glowing lights in the mist.

“Yeah. It is.”

 

Sehun approached them sometime later. “Jongin,” he began as he crouched down to unlock the handcuffs around his wrists. “Kim Junmyeon is here to see you.”

“Uh, thanks,” Jongin said awkwardly as he rubbed at his wrists. “What about Baekhyun?

Sehun glanced at Baekhyun. “He has to stay here.”

Baekhyun motioned for him to leave by jerking his head toward the expensive looking car that was parked nearby. “I’ll be fine, Jongin. Go.”

With thin lips, Jongin followed Sehun to the car. The windows were tinted to an almost impenetrable black to keep away prying eyes. Sehun knocked on the window twice. After a delayed couple of seconds, the window rolled down and Junmyeon looked back at them.

“Thanks, Sehun,” Junmyeon said with a tired smile. He opened the door to let Jongin in.

Sehun bowed his head before he stepped aside. He held the door open and Jongin gingerly got inside. He sat across from Junmyeon with his head down, somehow unable to meet his eyes.

For a while, Junmyeon didn’t say anything. Jongin peered up at him through his lashes. Up close, he did look extremely tired. It had been a long while since they had seen each other, and the bags around Junmyeon’s eyes were significantly darker than Jongin remembered; as were the worry lines at his brow.

“I never thought that the next time I saw you would be because I needed to save your ass from getting into trouble with the government.” There was some venom in Junmyeon’s voice. Although it was watered down, it still stung.

“I don’t need you to patronise me,” Jongin grumbled. His voice was a lot sharper than he expected.

“I’m not patronising you, Jongin,” Junmyeon sighed. He regained his composure quickly. “You look well. Chanyeol told me that you’ve been looking after his place when he’s away.”

Jongin folded his arms across his chest. “You know how he is. Someone needs to look after him.”

Junmyeon chuckled. “You’re absolutely right.”

Jongin looked out the window. He could see Sehun and Baekhyun from where he was. “You look tired.”

“Do I?”

“Yeah.”

Junmyeon let out a bittersweet laugh. “I didn’t think that you’d care.”

Jongin wanted to say that he cared. But couldn’t bring himself to do so. His stubbornness forced him into silence.

“Sehun said that you never mentioned anything about having a half-brother,” he said sometime after. His voice was bitter. “Does anyone even know I exist in your life?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Anyone besides Chanyeol, then?” Jongin said accusingly.

“Yes. There are a few people that know.”

Jongin wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “Do I even matter to you?”

He could tell that his words hurt. Junmyeon was clearly taken aback; speechless. He deflated slightly. Jongin didn’t know why he was getting so worked up. Junmyeon said nothing. Jongin’s face was hot and his nails dug into the palms of his hand. His mind was cloudy.

A thick and heavy silence filled the air.

Minutes passed and the searing burn of oxygen in Jongin’s system calmed as his breathing evened out.

“Have you calmed down a bit?” Junmyeon asked softly. Jongin glanced off to the side and Junmyeon exhaled. “Jongin, I don’t know why things are so difficult. I want nothing but the best for you, but you always push me away.”

“I don’t want to be babied–"

“It’s not about being babied. It's about me looking after the only family I have left,” Junmyeon said with a twinge of something regretful in his voice. “I didn’t want to force you to do anything. I thought that maybe you needed some time. Or perhaps you needed some space. Or maybe you just wanted a… normal life, so I let you stay on Eden. But maybe you thought it that I was abandoning you instead. I tried to call, you know? You never picked up.”

“I was… busy.”

“I’m sure you were. You’re allowed to be busy,” Junmyeon said even though it didn’t seem like he bought Jongin’s words. “But do you want to know _why_ Sehun didn’t know I had a half-brother?” he asked and was met with Jongin’s blank expression. “It’s because I _don’t_. As far as I’m concerned, you are _my_ _brother_ regardless if we had the same mother or not. I never said that you were anything less than that. And with how things are—with my position—I thought that it would be best to keep you safe, even if that meant keeping my private life a secret. If the rebellion knew who you were on Eden it could land you in some trouble. And that's the last thing I want.”

No one knew who the head of the government truly was. But they knew the faces of the people who represented them; with Junmyeon being one of them.

“It’s my fault that we didn’t really have he best relationship growing up. By the time you were out of high school I was already working full-time up here. And then the whole thing with Mom happened—“ Junmyeon ran his hands through his hair. His eyes were sincere. His voice shook. Jongin had never seen him this vulnerable before. “I’m trying my best, but I can’t do this alone, Jongin.”

Guilt twisted in Jongin’s stomach. He remained quiet, not quite ready to say anything. It wasn’t as if he knew what to say either.

“Can you please reconsider my offer?” Junmyeon asked. “It’ll put me at ease.”

“Okay,” he finally managed. “I’ll think about it.”

Junmyeon let out a breath; visibly relieved. He ran his palms down the front of his slacks and rested them at his knees. “Thank you. Now let’s get you home.”

He exited the car and followed Junmyeon to where Baekhyun and Sehun were. Junmyeon instructed Sehun to unlock the cuffs from around Baekhyun’s wrists. Sehun helped him stand afterwards, expression neutral.

Junmyeon gave Jongin a fond smile, “I didn’t realise how much you’ve grown over the last few years.”

Jongin managed a half smile.

“You’re both free to go, but please refrain from doing anything like this again. I won’t be able to diffuse the situation next time.”

“Understood,” Baekhyun and Jongin said in unison.

“Sehun will escort you back to Eden. But Jongin, please think about my offer.”

“I will.”

Descending back to Eden was a new experience. It happened in a flash. After they stepped into the elevator at the Grand Central Station in the middle of N.E, it almost felt as if they were teleported back to Eden in the span of a single breath. Jongin studied Sehun’s face; but barely met his eyes as the doors closed.

The next day passed in a blur. The happenings of D-Day were reported on the news. An aerial shot of the sandy terrain by the E-Point anchor was on screen. Written in the sand were the same red letters that were plastered over the city in the few days prior: _‘WE WILL BREAK THE CHAINS’._

Eden was in a state of unrest, but despite the unease in the air, Junmyeon managed to be the face of reassurance. He was prim and proper with his hair slicked back and suit tightly fitted. He spoke of promised safety, uniting the cities and of peace. Jongin watched through his press conference to its completion.

Baekhyun, Jongin and Yixing sat out on their balconies that night. There wasn’t much to say, but Jongin appreciated their company. Baekhyun held the chrome binoculars in his hands whilst Yixing had yet to use the new radio they bought him.

Jongin looked to the sky. There was a lot on his mind; and he had a lot to think about.

 

-

 

“You’re an idiot,” was the first thing that Chanyeol said when he got into Jongin’s car.

Jongin let out a sigh. “Can you not lecture me?”

“I can and I will.” Chanyeol’s voice was stern. There was a temporary hardness in his eyes. He rolled down and the window as Jongin merged into traffic. “I don’t know how you can be this stupid, Jongin.”

“I know.”

“You clearly don’t. Why did you think it was a good idea to climb the anchors when I have asked you _countless_ times if you wanted to come up with me?” Chanyeol let out an agitated exhale. “Imagine if the press found out that Kim Junmyeon’s _estranged_ brother was found climbing the anchors on the night of the rebellion’s supposed attack. We were lucky that it was nothing more than a message in the sand.”

“Listen, Chanyeol, I _know_ -“

 

“Then why?!”

“I don't know, okay!” Jongin yelled. He pulled over onto the side of the road.

Floaters gathered at the parking meter nearby began to drift over. Chanyeol rolled up his window before any of them could get inside.

“I know it was bad, but I couldn’t let Baekhyun go up there by himself. If he did and got caught on his own- I couldn’t live with myself.”

“Junmyeon is in an awkward situation at the moment with the inner circle, you know?”

Jongin rubbed at his temples. “I know. I thought about it a lot over the past couple of days. I… didn’t really think about how it would affect him.”

“Clearly,” Chanyeol scoffed.

“Okay, okay. I get it. I fucked up.”

“And yet, he’s still willing to forgive you,” Chanyeol reminded him once again. “He said that you were finally going to think about his offer?”

“Yeah. I am.”

“Good. You should accept it. It’ll be good for him. And for you, too.”

Junmyeon had always been perfect. He excelled in everything that he did and was subject to being the centre of attention for his achievements. From a young age, they were always compared and between them Jongin was always lacking. Their mother was always proud of them, but Junmyeon was the face of the family which left Jongin to live in his shadow.

When Jongin graduated high school, Junmyeon had already climbed the social ladder and was the youngest member of New Eden’s council. Then soon after their mother’s passing, Junmyeon had been elected to represent the government.

Chanyeol had become successful too. After following in his father’s footsteps, he had become a great developer and worked closely with the government. He always reminded Jongin of Junmyeon’s presence. He was the link between them, and tried to bring back memories from where they were younger, when it was _‘three of them against the world’_. It was simpler then. Chanyeol and Junmyeon were moving forward with their lives. Jongin was being left behind.

With the anchors buried and N.E overhead, Junmyeon had reached out after nearly a year of silence. He was busy. Eyes were on him. He was important. He offered Jongin a place to stay–with him–in the world above. But Jongin was defiant and resentful. He refused. He had too much pride, he was too bitter, and was convinced he could make it on his own. He moved out of their childhood home and into the apartment complexes on the outskirts of the city. He kept his familial ties to Junmyeon a secret and lived a normal life.

But being Junmyeon’s brother and Chanyeol’s childhood friend meant that life could never be normal. In the last month alone he had almost died, gotten arrested and spent more than he earned. And whilst Chanyeol had never really left his life, Junmyeon was back in it.

“What’s on your mind?” Yixing’s voice broke the silence. He had just gotten home and kicked his fold out chair open before he sat down with a grunt.

Jongin let out an exasperated sigh. “After my mother passed away, my brother asked me if I wanted to move to move to New Eden. He told me to rethink the offer when we got caught that night.”

“Kim Junmyeon, right? Baekhyun told me."

Jongin nodded. “Technically we’re half-brothers, but he chooses to look past that.”

“Don’t you?”

“I’m trying. But it’s hard because I’ve always felt… less than him. It’s dumb, I know.”

“I’m sure you have your reasons. I’m not judging you.”

The corners of Jongin’s lips pulled up slightly. “Thanks.”

“We all have things we want to keep hidden. I understand.”

“What do you keep hidden?”

Yixing looked down at his right hand and flexed his fingers. “Because of my accident, I don’t know if I can hold a gun straight anymore.”

Jongin’s lips parted slightly. “Is that why you didn’t rejoin the military even after all that time?”

Yixing nodded. “Partially. I don’t know what I’d do if I got through the whole exam and then failed because I couldn’t shoot straight. I don’t want to fail twice. It was hard enough the first time.”

As if on cue, Baekhyun stumbled through onto his balcony. He cursed at the sliding door as he usually did before he leaned back against the wall. The city was painted aqua below them with neon lights above.

“Either way, I think you should accept your brother’s offer.” Yixing had finally turned the radio on. He usually had trouble finding a station, but he found one with ease.

“What?” Baekhyun tilted his head before he bent down to lean his folded arms against the railings.

“Jongin might be moving upstairs,” Yixing explained. “His brother offered him a place to stay on N.E.”

“You should take it,” Baekhyun said as the wind blew his fringe into his eyes. “I know I would.”

“I don’t know,” Jongin mumbled. “I don’t think that type of lifestyle is for me. And what am I going to do on nights like this if I have no one to city-gaze with?”

“Getting all sentimental on us?” Baekhyun teased. “I’m sure we’ll be fine here. Just promise that you’ll visit.”

“Hold on a second. I never said that I was going to move.”

“If I could, I would. It beats this shithole,” said Baekhyun.

“Same,” Yixing added. “If I could get another chance to join the military, I would take it.”

Jongin frowned. “I thought you said that you didn’t want to fail?”

“Who said I would fail?” Yixing raised a brow. He then turned the music higher. “If I had another chance, I would do everything in my power to make sure that I wouldn’t fail.”

 

-

 

**_To: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Offer]_

_I’ve thought about your offer_

 

Junmyeon’s reply was delayed. His response came later in the evening. Jongin rolled over in his bed to reach for his phone when it vibrated against his bedside table.

 

**_From: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Offer]_

_You have?_  

**_To: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Offer]_

_Yeah_

_I’ll accept_

_But there are two conditions_  

**_From: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Offer]_

_Which are?_

 

Jongin rolled out of bed and padded his way to the balcony. He slid the door open with little force before he stepped outside, bare feet against the cement. He looked over onto Yixing’s balcony and let his eyes linger there before he replied to Junmyeon’s text.

 

**_To: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Offer]_

_The first is that I can bring my friends with me_

_The second is that you have to let Zhang_

_Yixing join the military_  

**_From: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Offer]_

_I’m more than happy to let_

_your friends stay with you_

_But I can’t just let_

_anyone join the military_  

**_To: Junmyeon_ **

**_[Subject: Offer]_ **

_He’s done the training before_

_Just give him a chance_

_Please_

**_From: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Offer]_

_I’ll have to run a background check_

_I’ll get back to you in a couple of days_

 

-

 

Jongin saw Sehun in the sky. He patrolled during the day and kept watch in the evenings. There were days when he wasn’t there, another angel in his place. Jongin didn't bother looking to the sky then.

There was something captivating about Sehun that Jongin couldn't put his finger on. He remembered the distinct features of Sehun’s face. His jaw was strong, sharp, as was the slope of his nose. It accentuated the deepness of his eyes, as did the blond of his hair. But despite that, his voice was soft and contrasted with the sharpness of his features.

Jongin remembered the feeling of falling, as well as the immediate relief of being saved.

 

-

 

**_From: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Zhang Yixing]_

_I asked my assistant to look for_

_Zhang Yixing’s files. We did find_

_his military record, and it was close_

_to perfect despite not completing_

_the final exam. If Zhang Yixing is willing,_

_the government would be more than_

_happy to accept and grant application_

_for military service_

 

“No.” Yixing said firmly.

Jongin tried again. “Yixing, you have to join-”

“No,” he said like a stubborn child. “i didn’t earn it. I didn’t work for it, either. If i’m going to join the military. I want to do it the right way.”

“But you said that if you had the chance you would take it!”

Yixing lowered his head. He stared at his feet, eyes downcast. “It doesn’t seem right doing it this way. I can’t accept something I didn’t work for-“

“I’ll join you,” Baekhyun said in a breath. “If you accept, I’ll join you in the program with you. It was—is—your dream to be in the military. You’d be _stupid_ to turn down an offer like this.”

For a second it looked like Yixing was considering. He parted his lips as if to say something, but then he presses them together and shakes his head. “Look, I can’t-“

“I’ll join you, too,” Jongin found himself saying. “You have to accept. Please.”

 

-

 

“You’re _crazy_.” Chanyeol enveloped Jongin in a crushing hug once they arrived at N.E. “I can’t believe you’re going to join the military. I also can’t believe that Junmyeon is letting you.”

It took some convincing, but Junmyeon had allowed him and Baekhyun to join the military training program alongside Yixing.

“That would be my fault,” Yixing spoke up.

“Ah yes,” Chanyeol met Yixing’s eyes. “Zhang Yixing with the incredible track record. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“And you are?”

“Park Chanyeol. I’m a developer here on N.E as well as Jongin’s childhood friend.” He shook Yixing’s hand firmly. “And you must be Baekhyun.”

“Yep.”

“I hope you guys enjoy it up here. It’s a bit different from what you’re used to, but I’m sure you’ll fit right in.”

Rather than sitting outside on their balconies and watching the skies, they sat outside and watched the city below. They floated over Eden and admired the neon-aqua sea below.

“Beautiful,” Baekhyun commented.

“Yeah. It is,” Jongin agreed.

 

Jongin spent the morning with Junmyeon. He had been picked up by a driver at an ungodly hour only to be dropped off and escorted into a high rise building in the heart of N.E.

From the top floor, Jongin saw the entirety of the city, as well as Eden in the far distance. It was as if New Eden knew no limitations and brought him one surprise after the other. Junmyeon stood next to him, also admiring the view.

“No matter how many times I see it, it’s still breathtaking,” Junmyeon began. “I wish Mom were here to see it.”

A few seconds of silence passed over them before Jongin spoke. “Me too."

 

-

 

The next time Jongin saw Sehun was on their first day of training. There were around fifty other trainees in the arena with them. Jongin wasn’t used to having his arms bare but liked the warmth of the sun against his skin despite the coolness of the wind. The dog-tag around his neck was engraved with the number eighty-eight and his combat boots were heavy on his feet.

Sehun stood behind Defence Minister Kim Minseok, alongside another angel that Jongin didn’t know. The angel had a pleasant look on his face, lips turned upward at the corners. He was somewhat mischievous looking and rocked back on his heels.

Sehun’s arms were behind his back. He wore a black bomber jacket which hid his form well. He scanned the trainees with unreadable eyes that stopped short once he caught sight of Jongin.

Jongin stood a few rows away from the front, separated from Baekhyun and Yixing. He felt singled out under Sehun’s stare; but was unable to break his eyes away. There was a spark of something there. He didn’t know what it was. Perhaps it was curiosity since they kept on crossing paths.

“We are expecting a lot from you, Trainees,” began Minseok. His hair was gelled back, eyes sharp, and his earrings glinted in the light. He looked powerful; aura demanding respect. “The rebellion has been rather daring in recent times. Which means the people of New Eden and below are looking to us for protection and safety. We must not fail them. Understood?”

“Understood!” came a chorus of cries.

“Excellent. With me are two of New Eden’s top angels: Oh Sehun and Kim Jongdae. They will be your mentors during this period.”

Sehun stepped forward. “Over the next few months we will be assessing your abilities in different areas of practice. Some of you may be better as intel rather than fighters, which we will have to account for. Do your best. The people need you.”

Jongdae followed suit and stepped forward once Sehun stepped back. He had a blinding smile. “Good luck, trainees. We are here to guide you to be the next wave of protectors for the cities. The rebellion may try to break the chains, but they won’t be able to break our spirit.”

 

The next few months were intense. Training started early in the morning and finished late in the evening for five days a week. Jongin struggled at first, but once training became a routine, his body adjusted to rigorous activity as if it was second nature.

He spent some weekends with Junmyeon. Their initial state of awkwardness had slowly melted as time passed by and whilst things weren’t one hundred percent like how they used to be when they were younger, it was a good start.

Baekhyun was a lot more tactful and and skillful than Jongin had expected. Whilst Yixing had excelled in close combat and brute force, Baekhyun had a talent for manipulation and undercover missions.

Jongin, unexpectedly, was a natural at firearms. After a shaky first couple of weeks he picked up useful tips from Jongdae, and after a few months passed by, his aim was near-perfect. Not everyone needed manipulation skills, but Jongin lacked in combat.

He stood across from Baekhyun in the sparring area with his fists held in front of himself. Dodging Baekhyun’s punches was a struggle since Baekhyun was agile. He moved quickly and blocked Jongin’s blows with ease. Jongin grit his teeth. When did Baekhyun become this good?

Jongin hissed when Baekhyun kicked him in the chest. The heel of his boot was painful against his sternum and Jongin was sent flying backwards. He landed on his back and groaned at the pain.

“Jesus, Jongin. Why didn’t you block?” Baekhyun’s voice was concerned as he ran over. He crouched down to check Jongin for any sign of injury when he sat up.

Jongin hissed. His chest was still a little tender, but nothing felt like it was broken. “I tried to. But before I could block you kicked me. When did you get so good at fighting?”

Baekhyun laughed and stood up. He held a hand out for Jongin to take. “I was tired of Yixing beating my ass so I trained after hours.”

“Well it definitely helped,” Jongin pouted.

“Slacking off?”

They turned to find Sehun some distance away. He had his arms folded over his chest. There was a slight hint of amusement on his face.

“Jongin is sulking because I’m better than him in fighting.”

“Hey,” Jongin said flatly.  

“Not my fault I’m better than you,” Baekhyun shrugged.

Jongin rolled his eyes.

“Fight me, then,” Sehun suggested.

“Fight you?” Baekhyun asked.

“You might learn something.”

“I’m going to pass. I think I’m getting a cramp in my leg,” Baekhyun laughed before he hobbled over to sit down by the wall.

“What about you, Jongin?”

Jongin’s eyes widened before he glanced away. He still wasn’t used to the weight of Sehun’s stare. “I’m not that keen on losing twice today.”

Sehun chuckled. His eyes creased slightly. “Think of it as more of a lesson.”

Jongin bit the inside of his cheek. He did need to learn how to fight better. He let out an exhale. “Okay.”

A small crowd formed around them after word spread of Sehun fighting a trainee. Jongin didn’t being the centre of attention, but there was nothing that he could do about it.

Sehun stripped off his jacket and threw it to the side. He wore a tank top, just like the rest of them and widened his stance. He taunted Jongin with a raise of his brow. “Whenever you’re ready.

There was some distance between them and Jongin ran toward Sehun before throwing a punch; aiming it at Sehun’s face. Sehun dodged with ease. He caught Jongin’s wrist and threw him to the floor.

“Always predict your opponent’s moves,” Sehun began as Jongin began to get back onto his feet. “This way, you can at least have a counter attack prepared.”

He looked back at Jongin. “Try again.”

Jongin exhaled before he threw another punch. This time when Sehun dodged, he let Sehun catch his wrist. He used it as momentum to knee Sehun in the side. However, Sehun had quick reflexes and moved out of the way just in time. He nodded at Jongin. “Better.”

“Uh, thanks,” Jongin said but then regretted it when Sehun dropped the floor out from under him by kicking the back of his knees.

“Never let your guard down.”

“Noted,” Jongin groaned.

Sehun helped him up. “Punch me,” he said.

Jongin’s lips thinned. He thrusted his fist forward. Sehun blocked it. _Of course he blocked it,_ Jongin scoffed to himself.

Sehun opened Jongin’s fist slightly so that the heel of his palm was exposed. “Open palm strikes can do a lot of damage sometimes. It also puts your hand at less risk.”

Jongin’s jaw clenched as he aimed for Sehun’s face. With the heel of his palm, he hit Sehun’s jaw. Hard. Sehun staggered backward and a chorus of gasps erupted around them.

“You let your guard down.” Jongin huffed.

Sehun looked back at him, impressed. “Good job.”

 

Jongin was in the middle of washing his face when the tap turned on next to him. He looked up and saw Sehun’s reflection in the mirror.

“Sorry, if I was being too hard on you today,” Sehun apologised. “It’s not too often when I get to spar like that. I got a bit carried away.”

Jongin wiped his face with the towel he had slung over his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine. If anything, I should be thanking you. I learnt a lot today.”

Sehun washed his face before he turned the tap off. Water dripped from the ends of his hair and down his chin. “That’s good.”

Jongin swallowed. There was a weird feeling in his stomach. “I, uh,” Jongin stammered. “I should get going. Baekhyun and Yixing are waiting for me downstairs.”

Sehun nodded. “See you tomorrow, Jongin.”

“See you.”

 

-

 

When the cities thought that the rebellion had finally stopped their operations, they were proven wrong. Four simultaneous bombings occurred across Eden’s smaller anchors. The chains didn’t break, but there was more damage than expected. The North-East anchor was dangerously close to being uprooted, but was managed to be saved in time by authorities.

Junmyeon was stressed. His phone rang non-stop. Jongin asked him if be wanted him to leave. Junmyeon shook his head. He unplugged his phone.

“Do you remember when we were kids and we used to sit outside and make shapes out of the clouds?”

“Yeah. You were a lot better at finding them than I was.”

Junmyeon hummed. “I don’t even have time to look at the sky anymore.”

 

Jongin slouched back into Chanyeol's lounge. “I didn’t realise how tough Junmyeon had it.” 

“You’re only realising that know?” Chanyeol laughed as he watered the pot of baby’s breath on the windowsill.

“Yeah. I’m a shitty brother, I know.”

“Don’t say that.” Chanyeol plopped down next to him. “He still thinks the world of you.”

 

-

 

Their training period came to an end after a long ten months. The final examination was near. Yixing was by far the most nervous.

“I’m still shaky when I hold a gun. My shots have been off by quite a bit, too,” he sighed.

“You’ll be fine, Xing,” Baekhyun assured him. “Out of all of us, you excel in everything the most. There’s no way you _won’t_ pass. Besides. Didn’t Junmyeon say that the government was willing to accept you regardless?”

“I know, I know. But still.”

Jongin clapped a hand over his shoulder. “You’ll do great Yixing.”

Yixing did in fact do great. He passed the final examination with flying colours, as did the rest of their cohort. Even with the slight waver in his aim, Chanyeol assured him that it was nothing that he couldn’t fix. He talked to Yixing about designing a stabiliser or another form of weapon he could use if needed. Yixing looked happy. Jongin was happy for him.

“Congratulations, trainees.” Minseok grinned. He had a pretty smile that they didn’t see too often. “You are now certified members of the military. You will be assigned a position and corresponding sector to which you will then pick up your gear from the Park Corp. Good luck. We’re counting on you.”

Jongin looked at his assigned position and sector written in his file. _Kim Jongin. Position: Angel. Sector: W-Point and surroundings._ He blinked back at his file, not sure if he was processing the words correctly. He was going to be an angel. Yixing was also an angel. Baekhyun too, although he did specialise as an intelligence agent if need be. However, they were all assigned different sectors.

That night, they watched the sky. Jongin looked at the shapes in the clouds. The neon lights of N.E reflected against them and made them more pronounced.

“Who knew that we would end up here?” Baekhyun said.

“Not me,” Yixing replied.  

“Same,” Jongin added. “But I’m glad we did.”

 

-

Chanyeol was more than ecstatic to give the angels their gear. He handed each of them a bag which contained their belongings. Sehun was there, too, standing some distance away with a bag of his own. Jongdae wasn’t too far away and stood amongst the crowd.

“Go on and open those bad boys up,” Chanyeol prompted.

Inside was a bomber jacket. It was similar to the one that Sehun wore on a daily basis. There was fine detailing in blue along the zipper and collar with an insignia of the state over the right chest. Over the left was an aqua circle that Jongin was familiar with.

“Alrighty!” Chanyeol clapped his hands together. “Put those on and follow me.”

There were shared looks of skepticism, but everyone did as they were told before they followed Chanyeol to the rooftop.

“First of all, congratulations everyone on becoming an Angel of Eden and New Eden. You guys are the first generation of angels to have a new and improved wing design.”

Jongin felt at the jacket with his fingers. The material was fine, lightweight and extremely high quality.

“The bomber jackets you’re all wearing at the moment are your wings. They’re all custom tailored to fit your body and will repair themselves if they take damage. However there is a certain amount of damage the wings can take before I need to manually repair it. Once you reach that stage, please get them back to me as soon as possible.”

“These ones are safe, right?” Jongin asked.

Chanyeol pursed his lips. “They are.”

“Okay. Just asking.”

Chanyeol ignored him. “The old wing design was a lot bulkier and had a lot more steps to it than these ones. For example, if you were to run and jump off the side of the building, the jacket will immediately transform.”

“That’s so cool,” Baekhyun said softly.

Someone emerged from the crowd and ran toward the edge. Jongin recognised the person as Jongdae and watched as Jongdae leaped into the air. The jacket began to peel away from his skin, unwrapping from around his arms and it was almost surreal to watch the nanobots gather between his shoulder blades and then extend outward. The wings spread wide, with the same smooth, gunmetal appearance that was laced with aqua.

Jongdae soared back into the sky and over their heads. He hovered in the air behind Chanyeol, who looked extremely proud of his work.

“You’re all free to test drive your wings. You earned them.”

“You first, Xing,” Baekhyun prompted and nudged him in the ribcage.

Yixing rocked back on his heels before he ran to the edge. He dove headfirst off the side of the building before he moved through the air with ease. He laughed, as if he couldn't believe it. He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Oh fuck me he’s so cute,” Baekhyun said fondly.

And then Baekhyun was following suit. In true Baekhyun-fashion, he flipped off the building and plummeted toward the ground as his wings caught up to him. He flew toward Yixing and pinched at his cheeks, cooing at him, much to his dismay.

“Are you not going to test them out?”

“I could say the same about you,” Jongin said.

“It isn’t my first time flying. I know what it’s like.”

“Same, remember? You kind of saved me from falling that one time.”

“That’s right.” Sehun chuckled.

“Thanks for that, by the way.”

“It’s no problem,” Sehun grinned before he stood behind Jongin.

Sehun was an excellent mentor. They had gotten close throughout their training period and at first, Sehun appeared to be little cold and somewhat distant. But the sharpness of his features was a complete 180° from his personality. He was incredibly playful, yet serious when he needed to be. Jongin admired him. But admiration was put aside when he took hold of Jongin’s shoulders and ran forward and pushed him toward the edge of the building.

“Wait, Sehun—I’m not ready yet!”

Jongin had heard Sehun laugh a handful of times, but he genuinely seemed like he was enjoying Jongin’s misfortune. Jongin’s stomach dropped. His heart was in overdrive as he was basically thrown off the top of Chanyeol’s building and into the sky.

There was nothing under his feet, only the feeling of free falling. He looked over his shoulder and saw Sehun falling after him. The bomber jacket began to take form. It transformed and Jongin took flight.

Sehun followed. He sped past Jongin and turned around. He smirked. Jongin frowned.

“That was a dick move, Sehun.”

“Get used to it. We’re in the same sector.”

 

- 

 

Angels worked in shifts, which explained why Jongin didn't see Sehun on certain days of the week when he used to watch the skies whilst living on Eden. Jongin and Sehun were scheduled to work the night shift whilst Jongdae and another angel took the day. 

“You know,” Jongin began as they stood at the border. “I used to city-watch with Baekhyun and Yixing when we used to live on Eden.”

“Really?”

Jongin nodded. “When night fell, there was something about N.E that seemed so magical. When it was dark, you can’t see the chains. All you can see is this floating city in the sky.”

“That seems like quite a view.”

“It is," said Jongin. "It seemed like such a paradise up here—and it is—it’s a shame that not everyone can experience it.”

There was a thoughtful look on Sehun’s face. The wind rustled at their clothes, caressed at their skin. “What’s it like down there?”

“Crowded,” was the first thing that Jongin said. “There’s too many people and too many buildings. But it would be too hard to try and expand into the sand and past the Compass Points.

“People work too hard, but there’s not enough income to improve anything. Baekhyun, Yixing and I lived on the outskirts of the city. It’s where rent was the cheapest. The closer you are to the Central Anchor, the more expensive everything is.”

“I see.”

“I mean, it wasn’t all bad. There are these… creatures down on Eden. They’re called floaters. They’re really cute. They're like soft and translucent and glow aqua at night. I miss them the most.”

“Besides that one time I saved you from falling, I had never been to Eden before,” Sehun said.

“I’ll take you one day,” Jongin offered.

“I’d like that.”

 

-

 

Jongin wondered about the previous angel in the sector they were working in. He had asked Sehun about it sometime later in their shift. The question caught Sehun off guard, but he answered, anyway.

“The previous Angel in this sector was... retired.”

“Retired?” Jongin said in confusion.

“They were working with the rebellion as a spy.”

“Oh. What happened to them?”

“I don’t know.” Sehun stared off into the distance. “I suppose they’re locked up somewhere for treason.”

 

-

 

**_From: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Busy]_

_Sorry. I can’t make it today_

_An emergency meeting_

_came up_  

**_To: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Busy]_

_It’s alright. Don’t overwork_

_yourself too much_

**_From: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Busy]_

_I won’t. Don’t worry_

_I hope Sehun is treating_

_you well_  

**_To: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Busy]_

_He is. We get along well_  

**_From: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Busy]_

_That’s good_

_I have to go into my meeting_

_now. But I was thinking, do_

_you want to go and visit Mom_

_sometime soon?_  

**_To: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Busy]_

_I’d like that. Good luck at your_

_meeting_  

**_From: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Busy]_

_I love you_  

**_To: Junmyeon_ **

_[Subject: Busy]_

_I love you, too_

 

_-_

 

There were times when Jongin looked at Sehun and a strange feeling stirred in his stomach. It was warm, and spread to his face. Sehun was undeniably attractive. His physique was perfect, as was his face. It was dangerous. _He_ was dangerous.

“Maybe you’re interested?” Baekhyun suggested.

“I can’t be interested!” Jongin whined. “We work together. Isn’t that unethical?”

“Perhaps,” Baekhyun shrugged. “But the heart wants what it wants.”

“Stop that,” Jongin scoffed and pushed at Baekhyun’s shoulder. “It’s probably just a phase."

 

Sehun talked of his home town. He came from a far away place but fell in love with New Eden. He had a small family, but wasn’t too sure where they were anymore. Jongin spoke of his mother and how he missed her. He mentioned Junmyeon and how they repaired their relationship after many years of silence.

He found himself studying Sehun’s face. The gentle wisp of his lashes, how the corner of his mouth would turn downward every now and then. He would wet over his lips with his tongue while talking, as if he were trying to collect his thoughts.

He looked beautiful under bathed under the neon lights, pale skin painted in pinks, blues and purples. He would patrol the chains, looking almost god-like as he landed back onto the border.

He remembered when Sehun saved him, as well as the look in his eyes. He looked at Jongin with a deep intensity, as if he was the only thing that mattered. Jongin bit his lip. His heart raced a little. It wasn’t just a phase.

 

-

 

There was a stern look on Baekhyun’s face. His brows were knitted and his lips were pressed into a thin line. He didn’t notice Jongin’s presence until he cleared his throat.

“Everything alright, Baek?”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Jongin sat next to him. “What's up?”

Baekhyun hesitated. “I was offered to do a solo mission.”

“Oh, that’s great. Did you accept?

“Yep,” Baekhyun said unconvincingly.

“You don't seem very happy about it,” Jongin frowned.

“Is that so?” Baekhyun glanced at him before looking away. The advertisements on N.E were blinding. “I’m just thinking, that's all.”

“What's the mission?”

Baekhyun didn’t speak for a long time. Jongin didn’t know if he had ever seen Baekhyun this serious before. A few, long minutes of silence passed over them. Baekhyun fiddled with Yixing’s radio to drown the silence. He drew in a breath before he spoke. “I'm going back to Eden to join the rebellion–”

“I’m sorry, _what?”_

Jongin didn’t know what to say. He was left confused by what Baekhyun said. There was more silence. Baekhyun seemed to be choosing his words carefully. It was as if he was scared of Jongin’s reaction. He didn’t meet Jongin’s eyes. He kept his gaze low. His voice was quiet.

“I'm going to pose a double agent for–”

Anger bubbled in Jongin’s system. “Why the hell did you accept?!”

“Why shouldn't I have?” Baekhyun’s said, defensive.

“Because it’s dangerous, Baekhyun! What are you going to do if they find out you're an N.E soldier? What then?!”

“Jongin, I’ve already thought about all of that–”

“Did my brother or Minseok talk you into this?” The sentence was heavy on his tongue. 

“No. They didn’t say anything. I decided this on my own.”

“I don’t understand.” No matter how hard Jongin tried to wrap his head around Baekhyun’s motives, he couldn’t make any sense of it.

“I volunteered.”

“Why?”

“I wanted to do something that actually mattered, you know?” Baekhyun hummed on his exhale. “At least this way I can say that I actually did something with my life. That I’m more than a bartender who works six days a week in the South Sector.”

“Baekhyun…”

“I’ll be fine,” Baekhyun said as he waved a dismissive hand. His grin was bright. “They wouldn’t be able to catch me even if they tried.”

“I'm sure they wouldn't.”

“Hey. Do me a favour, though?”

“What is it?”

Baekhyun turned the knobs of Yixing’s radio. Various songs played out of the speakers in a disjointed symphony. “Don’t tell Yixing."

“You haven’t told him?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “I haven’t. I told him that they’re relocating me to N-Point.”

“He’s going to be mad when he finds out.”

“I know.” There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. He smirked. “But I heard angry sex is great.”

Jongin rolled his eyes. “You’re disgusting.”

“Says you. You’re the one that wants to fuck Sehun–”

Jongin’s face burned with embarrassment. “Shut up,” he hissed.

 

Baekhyun departed back to Eden in the following week. He was so used to hearing Baekhyun’s voice out on the balcony at night. But with Yixing at S-Point and Baekhyun soon to be with the enemy, Jongin was left alone.

 

**_To: Baekhyun_ **

_[Subject: Come back soon]_

_Be safe_  

**_From: Baekhyun_ **

_[Subject: Come back soon]_

_Don’t worry, I will_

_Give Yixing a kiss for me ;-)_

 

_-_

Jongin spent a lot of time with Sehun. The residual feeling of his pulse racing never seemed to go away and the touches Sehun left against his skin would remain warm even hours after they made contact.

He tried not to be flustered, but when Jongin tripped over his words and mumbled because nothing would come out right, he held his breath as Sehun leaned in closer in order to hear him better.

“What was that?” he’d ask and squinted as if if minimal vision would help him hear better.

“It’s nothing,” Jongin would say as he stepped back to put some space between them. “I’m going to patrol the chains quickly."

“Wait, Jongin–”

Jongin stepped off the border and descended to wind around the chains. His wings spread wide before snapping back close to his body so he could gain speed. He surveillanced the anchors below and memories of when they climbed W-Point flashed before his eyes. He hoped that Baekhyun was doing okay. According to the transmissions he sent Minseok, he was doing just fine. It put Jongin at ease.

He landed with balls of his feet at the edge of N.E. He balanced and breathed in deeply as his wings began to transform back into his bomber jacket.

“Welcome back,” Sehun greeted.

“Uh, thanks.”

“You know, Jongin. Sometimes it’s like you try to avoid me, yet you can't seem to keep yourself away.” Sehun put him right on the spot. He was frozen, hands buried deep into his pockets as he stared back at Sehun as he spoke.“I don’t know if you think I don’t notice, but I do.”

Jongin didn’t know if it was the lights, or if there was a slight flush of Sehun’s skin. He stepped forward. The neons caused his hair to shift from an icy blue, to a bubblegum pink to a lavender. There was _something_ swimming in his eyes. Jongin was lost in it—as he usually was—he couldn’t look away.

Sehun was close. He was so close that there was almost no space between them. Jongin tried to keep his balance, half his weight was still over the edge of N.E. Sehun looked at him long and hard. He licked his lips out of habit. It was if he wanted to say something, but hesitated. He cleared his throat as his eyes searched Jongin’s.

“Do you perhaps… like me?”

Jongin’s eyes widened. His lips parted into a gasp as he took a step back. He looked over his shoulder, forgetting where he was. As he fell backward, his jacket began to transform. But a grip around his wrist jerked him forward. His wings still unfurled, and he hovered in place.

Sehun’s hand was loose around his wrist and Jongin felt like he could fly away at any moment. But he forced himself back onto the ground.

Sehun was close. He was so close and there was no space between them. Jongin looked up. Traces of aqua from the luminous stones from below them swam in Sehun’s eyes.

“And if I did?” Jongin asked.

“I would say that I liked you, too.” There was definitely a pink flush of Sehun’s skin.

“Then, yes. Maybe I do... like you.”

The smile that Sehun gave him was brighter than the lights behind him.

 

Sehun kissed him a few nights later. It was toward the end of their shift when Sehun backed him up against a nearby wall and pressed him against it. After months of non-subtle glances and in some cases, shameless flirting, it wasn’t long before someone cracked. He leaned in dangerously close only to pull away slightly before he leaned back in.

“I feel like this has been a long time coming,” he whispered.

Jongin nodded and slumped back against the wall when Sehun kissed him. It was slow and deep, like the burn of oxygen in the pit of his lungs.

Sehun was eager, hungry almost. Jongin was as equally eager, hungry, thirsty for it.

“Hey, hey, hey. Keep it in your pants.”

Sehun pulled away lethargically. His eyes were glazed over slightly and his lips shone in the light. Jongin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and flushed with embarrassment when he spotted Jongdae nearby.

“You saw nothing!” Jongin yelled.

He braced his hands on his hips as if to scold them, but waggled his eyebrows at them instead. “Ooh la la,” he sing-songed.

Sehun gave Jongin a sheepish smile.

  

**_From: Jongdae_ **

_[Subject: luvr boi]_

_;-)_

**_To: Jongdae_ **

_[Subject: luvr boi]_

_Shouldn’t you be_

_working?_  

**_From: Jongdae_ **

_[Subject: luvr boi]_

_;-))_  

**_To: Jongdae_ **

_[Subject: luvr boi]_

_Stop that_  

**_From: Jongdae_ **

_[Subject: luvr boi]_

_;-)))_  

**_To: Jongdae_ **

_[Subject: luvr boi]_

_I’m going to block you_

**_From: Jongdae_ **

_[Subject: luvr boi]_

_;-))))_

 

_Block this number_

_[_ **_yes_ ** _]  [no]_

 

**_From: Unknown Number_ **

_[Subject: Nice Try]_

_You can’t escape me_

_Luvr boi_

_;-)_  

**_To: Unknown Number_ **

_[Subject: Nice Try]_

_Fuck off_

 

_-_

 

Baekhyun’s luck ran out after a two month run. He dropped out of the sky and crashed into base with a blood matted hairline and a split lip. His cheek was grazed and he was out of breath. His cover had been blown and he barely made it back to N.E alive If the wings Chanyeol had manufactured didn’t have the ability to repair itself, he would have probably been dead.

“They’re planning a full scale attack,” Baekhyun revealed once he was bandaged up. He looked worse for wear, but he was fortunately still in one piece. “They’re going for the Compass Points, and they have a lot more members than what we originally thought.”

Minseok tapped his fingers against his forearm. “How many people are we looking at?”

“At this point, maybe a bit more than a quarter of Eden? I couldn’t get exact numbers.”

“Do you have a date?”

“Not an exact date. But sometime within the next month, I think.”

 

“That’s alright Baekhyun, you did more than enough,” Junmyeon said. “Thank you for your service. We greatly appreciate it.”

Baekhyun smiled. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity.”

“You idiot, I told you not to get caught,” Jongin bumped Baekhyun’s shoulder as they sat out on the balcony later in the afternoon.

“I tried not to. But we know that my plans can be flawed sometimes.”

The door opened behind them. Yixing stormed in and almost pushed Jongin out of the way to get to Baekhyun. He dropped to his knees and looked at Baekhyun straight in the eyes.

“Are you dumb?!” Yixing yelled. “I can’t believe you lied to me. You said you were being relocated and I find out today that you spent the last two months with the rebellion!”

“I’m alive, aren’t I?”

“What if you weren’t? What then? What do I do then?” Yixing rambled. “What am I supposed to do when you joined the military for my sake? What do I do if you’re not here anymore? Have you ever thought about that?” There were tears in his eyes.

"Hey," Baekhyun reached them up to wipe them away. “I'm not going anywhere."

There was always something that simmered between Baekhyun and Yixing. Jongin took that as his cue to leave

_-_

 

**_From: Unknown Number_ **

_[Subject: It’s Jongdae]_

_You still have my number blocked so_

_I have to text you from this one_

_There’s been a change in shifts_

_I’m working the night shift_

_So you and Sehun get the day one_

**_To: Unknown Number_ **

_[Subject: It’s Jongdae]_

_Thanks for letting me know_

**_From: Unknown Number_ **

_[Subject: It’s Jongdae]_

_Also, unblock my number pls_

_This is really inconvenient_

_-_

Sehun yawned. His hair was longer than it was when they first met. His bangs fell into his eyes as he stepped into the light. He swept his hair away from his eyes and shielded his face from the sun.

Jongin closed his eyes. The wind tousled at his hair as he buried his hands deeper into the pockets of his bomber jacket. It was fairly early into the morning and as the mist cleared, Eden blossomed with life below.

“It’s been a while since I’ve worked during the day.” The light kissed Sehun’s face. His eyes glittered a stunning shade of chocolate brown that caused Jongin to stare. When he looked over, he met Jongin’s gaze.

Jongin cleared his throat and looked away. “It feels kind of weird to have the night off.”

They had danced around each other for months, but barely found any time to be on their own outside of work. Careful kisses were shared between shifts, but nothing more. Their job came first, even if it was demanding. But they appreciated each other’s company, and that was enough.

Sehun rolled his shoulders back before he took a deep breath in and hummed on his exhale. “Do you remember we were talking a while back? You said that you would take me to Eden if we had the time.”

“I remember.”

He rubbed at his nape. “You always talk about Eden at night. I really want to see it.” He looked away shyly.

Jongin blinked back at him. A smile tugged at his lips. Cute. “I suppose it would be easier since we swapped shifts with Jongdae and his partner.”

“You’d be willing to take me?”

Jongin tilted his head as his smile widened. “Of course.”

The day passed by slowly. Time dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. Jongin had grown used to patrolling the skies and flying soon became second nature. At times he saw angels in the distance at the other Compass Point chains when he dipped below N.E’s surface.

There were routine visits from Minseok, who asked for updates and unusual sightings. He always thanked them for their work with a kind smile that complimented the gentleness of his voice. Whilst there were angels on N.E, there were also angels that guarded the anchors below. Jongin had seen less of Junmyeon and Chanyeol in recent weeks. They were both part of the inner circle and were busy in trying to plan their next plan of action. The rebellion had been more daring and the government had to compensate.

When night fell they passed their duties over to Jongdae and his partner. Jongdae was always full of energy and greeted them with a dazzling grin that rivalled the city lights. "Have fun and stay safe kids!" he called out. Sehun told Jongin to ignore him.

 

“Are you ready?” Jongin asked. They stood at the border side by side. The sky was dark and Eden glittered aqua below them.

“Whenever you are.”

Jongin let a smirk pull at his lips as he kicked the back of Sehun’s knees and pushed him over the edge. Sehun let out a surprised noise, but caught the front of Jongin’s shirt as he fell. He dragged Jongin with him and they fell into the atmosphere with laughter.

Their wings unfurled, jacket breaking away from their bodies to lift them back into the air. Sehun followed in Jongin’s lead. The flight was long from W-Point to the Central Anchor. The wind was cool and combed through their hair, ghosting along their skin and under their shirts.

They descended lower, just enough to get a taste of Eden’s nightlife but were still high enough to admire the view. They weaved through the buildings and were temporarily blinded by the hundreds of advertisements. Eden was busy, as it always was, and Jongin felt somewhat foreign in a place he once called home.

The Central Anchor stood tall amongst the cityscape, majestic and illuminated by the luminous stones at its base. Chanyeol’s research facility was close by. Jongin drew to a stop and landed on the rooftop with a graceful step. He walked forward and was enveloped back into warmth when his wings transformed.

He turned around shortly after. Sehun was still in the air, yet to touch down and he looked breathtaking. He looked ethereal against Eden’s background with glowing blond hair and chiseled features. He really did look like an angel.

Jongin’s pulse quickened, heart racing as Sehun regained his human form. He ruffled at his hair before he smoothed it down with his fingers. He noticed Jongin’s stare. “What?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

Sehun shook his head and walked toward him. They bumped shoulders and looked out onto the city.

“Wow,” Sehun breathed. “It’s beautiful.”

“It really is.”

Traffic moved together in symphony. The headlights of cars created an orange and white stream along the roads that twisted and turned around buildings. There luminous stones pulsed with colour, as if Eden had its own heartbeat. Screens played advertisements, as did the billboards and music carried with the wind. Sehun watched for a long time. He took everything in, eyes scanning the wide expanse of Eden from the fringe of the desert and back to the Central Anchor.

“You can’t even see our station from here,” he commented.

“Yeah. W-Point is more than a two hour drive away.”

Sehun let out a low whistle. “Well,” he started again. “You’re the expert. Where are good places to go?”

Weaving through the sea of people along the path was a challenge. Sehun linked his fingers with Jongin’s as they made their way downtown so that he wouldn’t get lost in the crowd. Every now and then, Jongin would look over his shoulder. Sehun looked back at him as he gave Jongin a reassuring squeeze of his fingers.

The markets were the busiest part of town. Overcrowded stores filled the vicinity and items spilled into the walkway. Sehun tripped over his feet a couple of times, only for his chest to collide with Jongin’s back. He straightened his posture shortly afterward as he mouthed an apology.

The smells of foods filled the air; of fried delicacies and sweet desserts. Sehun stopped, eyeing a few cakes. Jongin bought a couple for them to eat as they wandered deeper into the market. Sehun look satisfied as he licked the frosting from his lips and Jongin caught sight of his tongue before he redirected his attention elsewhere to rid himself of lewd thoughts.

“I have never seen this many binoculars in my life,” Sehun said in awe.  

The optical store wasn’t as nearly as refined as the one on N.E, but it had more opticals than Eden had floaters. They draped from hooks on the ceiling like a chandelier. Few were mounted along the walls and spun in displays on the floor. There were few telescopes that stood all. They faced toward the entrance and to the sky. When Sehun looked into it, he saw N.E.

“They’re not as good as the ones on N.E,” Jongin said as Sehun moved out of the way to let him have a lot. Sehun was still in close proximity. Jongin felt his breath on his skin. “They get the job done, though. Baekhyun and I have a collection growing between us.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mhm,” Jongin hummed. “We liked to watch the skies, remember? At first we didn’t have the income to invest in good binoculars. But over time we got ones that were better in quality.”

“Why didn’t you just ask Chanyeol to make you something? You guys are childhood friends, aren’t you?””

“I didn’t want to,” Jongin said as he took a step back from the telescope and touched one of the binoculars overhead. “I liked coming here. It was how Baekhyun, Yixing and I really started to become friends.”

“You guys are really close, huh?”

“Yeah,” Jongin began as they left the store and continued to walk amongst the stalls. They were pressed shoulder to shoulder with barely any room to spare. “I mean, we lived next to each other. It was hard to escape.”

Sehun chuckled. “Fair enough.”

There wasn’t enough time to do everything. Making their way out of the marketplace was equally as difficult as it was on their way in. As the crowd thinned and the air cleared, Sehun stretched his limbs. He let out a yawn and blinked away the tears that sprung in his eyes.

A cluster of floaters were nearby. They gathered around the light post and tapped against the light like moths before noticing Jongin and Sehun’s presence. One drifted over curiously. It was seemingly amused by the colour of Sehun’s hair.

“Are these the floaters you were talking about?” Sehun asked as he cupped his hands, grinning as the floater rested in his palms.

“Yeah.”

“They’re cool.”

Another wandered over. It pulsed aqua as it nudged against Sehun’s hair before resting at his shoulder.

“I think they like you,” Jongin chuckled.

“You think so?” Sehun looked up. His eyes were pulled into crescents and his smile was wide. 

Jongin smiled back. _Who wouldn’t like you,_ he thought.

They flew back to N.E sometime past midnight to ensure that they were well rested before their next shift. Jongin looked down as they left Eden behind, only to look up and see N.E’s glowing lights ahead. The chains swayed between the two worlds lethargically. The air was crisp, sharp.

Jongin’s skin was cool to the touch when they landed. He pressed his palms to his face to try and warm his skin. Sehun didn’t seem like he minded. His skin was flushed from the cold but his eyes were warm.

“Thank you for taking me tonight,” he said softly.

“Anytime. There’s still a lot that I have to show you.”

Jongin looked up at Sehun with heated cheeks. He bit at his bottom lip and melted when Sehun cupped his face.

“I want you to show me everything,” Sehun whispered before he kissed him.

 

- 

 

_**From: Junmyeon** _

_[Subject: Work]_

_Jongin, do you want to take_

_the day off?_

_I'm going to eat out with Chanyeol_

_later and thought that I would_

_extend the invite_

**_To: Junmyeon_**

_[Subject: Work]_

_When do I need to be ready?_

 

_**From: Junmyeon:** _

_[Subject: Work]_

_I'll send a driver over in an hour_

_I was thinking that we should_

_visit_ _Mom first_

 

Their mother's grave was away from the business of the city. It was in a quiet place that was surrounded by cherry blossom trees. There was a solemn look on Junmyeon's face as he brushed some petals away from her gravestone. Jongin was next to him, and they stood in silence as the wind rustled in the trees.

"She would have been proud of you- No," Junmyeon shook his head. "She is proud of you. I know it."

Jongin's heart clenched. He drew in a shaky inhale as he reached for Junmyeon's hand. "She's proud of both of us."

"I'm sorry for not being there before-"

"It's okay," Jongin shook his head. "It's- it's in the past. What matters is where we are now."

Junmyeon cracked a smile as he wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. "You've come such a long way, Jongin. I'm proud of you."

 

Chanyeol's hair was a mess but he was like a breath of fresh air. He pulled them both into a bone-crushing hug that they were unable to escape. Jongin wheezed while Junmyeon attempted to smooth down and tame Chanyeol’s silvery-blue hair. It reminded Jongin of when they were young. He couldn’t be any happier.

 

-

 

Jongin took Sehun back to Eden in the week that followed. Their shift finished early. The sun began to set and cast an orange glow over the cities.But the time they landed, night had fallen. The luminous stones were bright against the darkness but were soon swallowed by the bright lights of the cityscape.

Jongin took Sehun to his apartment complex on the outskirts of the city. He slid the key into the lock and forced the door open. It had been a while since he had come back home and nothing had changed except for the light layer of dust over his belongings.

Sehun looked around, suspended in the middle of the room.

“It’s small, I know,” Jongin said.

“It’s nice,” Sehun replied. “Cosy,” he then added.

 Jongin chuckled and shook his head. He walked past the kitchen and toward the sliding door that led out to the balcony. He pressed his hand against the glass. It was cool to the touch. He then slid the door open and the breeze filtered into the room.

Before Jongin stepped outside he grabbed the pair of binoculars that hung on the hooks by the door. “Come on,” he said. 

Sehun followed Jongin out onto the balcony and admired the view. “It’s beautiful out here,” he said in wander.

Living on the outskirts of the city meant that all of Eden was before them. The advertisements were bright, as were the aqua glow of the luminous stones below. 

“Yixing lived on my right and Baekhyun lived on my left,” Jongin said as he sat down and pat the space next to him. He continued talking once Sehun was seated. “We used to sit out here like this every night and watch the skies.”

Sehun accepted the binoculars Jongin handed him. He looked to the sky and listened as Jongin spoke.

“I think Baekhyun wanted a life that was more than this. Yixing, too. Maybe even myself.” He brought the binoculars to his eyes and looked up. He saw Jongdae along N.E’s border and let out an exhale.

“Is that why you climbed the anchos?”

Jongin hummed in affirmation. “Baekhyun was so desperate for it, just to see it at least once. I couldn’t let him go alone, you know?”

“And if you didn't get caught?" Sehun prompted. "Would you have done it again?"

“I would do it all again,” Jongin said. “Despite getting caught, that was one of the best nights of my life.”

Jongin dropped the binoculars into his lap. When he looked in Sehun’s direction he was surprised to see Sehun looking back at him. He was taken aback, shifting under the weight of Sehun’s stare.

“What?”

“You’re beautiful,” Sehun said.

Sehun moved closer, crowding himself into Jongin’s space. He wet over his lips as his fingers brushed over Jongin’s.

 Jongin was frozen in place and watched as Sehun’s gaze dropped down to his lips before it moved back up to meet his eyes. 

Time slowed down and the noise around them fell to silence. Sehun’s hand was warm on his nape as he guided Jongin’s mouth toward his own.

Jongin’s fingers trembled loosely around the binoculars. He inhaled with a shudder as he parted his lips slightly. Sehun kissed him deeply, passionately, and left him breathless. He pulled away, face hot and chest heaving slightly.

He breathed in, only to be pushed onto his back on his exhale. Sehun hovered over him, eyes intense as he kissed Jongin once more. He was more daring this time, and drove his tongue into Jongin’s mouth with purpose.

Jongin wound his arms around Sehun’s neck to pull him close. He could see the city lights behind his closed lids, as well as feeling Sehun’s heated skin against his.

Sehun’s hand crept up his shirt, gripped at his waist. He mumbled against Jongin’s skin. “I want you, Jongin.”

Jongin was filled with desire. He could see the growing lust in Sehun’s eyes. His pupils were blown into a sea of darkness that was hard to ignore and Jongin wanted him, too.

Jongin up and pushed himself to stand. He took Sehun by the wrist and led them back inside. They peeled their clothes off haphazardly on the way to Jongin’s bedroom and collided against the mattress in a mess of tangled limbs and clashing mouths.

“In the drawer,” Jongin breathed when Sehun’s mouth was at his neck. “Theres—ah—there’s lube there.”

Sehun reached for Jongin’s bedside table blindly. He knocked down Jongin’s alarm clock and lamp before he managed to get the drawer open. He felt around of the bottle and shifted back onto his knees when he found it. 

Jongin took it from his hands. He flipped he cap open and squirted the gel on his fingers and reached down to prepare himself before Sehun got the chance to.

It had been a while since he had last had fingered himself and the initial slide in of his index finger caused him to wince. 

“Take your time,” Sehun whispered, rubbing small circles into his hips. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

But Jongin was eager to please, pushing himself past his limit. The line between pain and pleasure blurred and soon his back arched off the mattress with a plea of Sehun’s name. He looked at Sehun through his lashes, eyes hooded and jaw slack.

Sehun replaced Jongin’s fingers with his own, stretching him slowly until he couldn’t take it anymore.

 _“Sehun,”_ he moaned.

A shiver raced down Sehun’s spine and Jongin saw the twitch in his cock.

Sehun slicked himself up with lubricant before he pressed his cock at Jongin’s entrance. He leaned down to kiss Jongin as he pushed in slowly, to soothe the sting until he was in to the hilt. Jongin panted. His fingers tangled into Sehun’s hair as he moved slowly.

The air was suffocating. It was hot. Sehun invaded his senses. He held Jongin close, mouthed at his ear, licked at his jaw, kissed his lips.

Sehun’s thrusts were long and powerful. His hips snapped against the back of Jongin’s thighs as he grunted. 

It all became too much. With the head of Sehun’s cock repeatedly grazing his prostate, Jongin found himself coming over his own fingers. Sehun fucked him through it, swallowing his moans with his mouth as he chased his end.

He came shortly afterward with Jongin’s naw on his lips. He collapsed against Jongin’s chest. His air was sweaty and matted against his forehead. Jongin pushed it out of his eyes tenderly.

“You know,” Sehun began slightly breathless. “When I saved you that day, I thought you were beautiful.”

Jongin pulled Sehun so that they lay face to face. He gave Sehun a gentle kiss to the plushness of his lips. “And so are you.”

“I think I might be falling in love with you,” Sehun whispered. He looked vulnerable. Jongin placed his hand over Sehun’s chest. His pulse is erratic.

 “You’re not the only one,” Jongin began. “I think I’m falling in love with you, too.”

 

-

 

The weather was pleasant. Jongin soared through the air. The were few clouds in the sky and the sun was warm; comforting. He dipped lower past the halfway point of the chains to surveillance the city.

He frowned; squinting against the light. Traffic wasn’t moving. Cars were suspended on the road and it was if the city had come to a standstill. The screens still played, but there weren’t people on the street. Its unsettling

That’s strange, Jongin thought. He had a bad feeling about this. He flew back to N.E and met Sehun at the border.

“There’s no one on the streets,” Jongin said. “Traffic isn’t moving, either.”

“Yixing had just reported the same thing. So its not just our sector that’s experiencing abnormalities at the moment,” Sehun replied. “I don’t feel too good about this.”

Before Jongin could talk, horns sounded in the air. Jongin and Sehun’s attention was directed below.The screens faltered. Billboards glitched. Everything turned to black. Eden was lifeless. The last time Eden lost power, the rebellion broadcasted their message to the masses.

The screens flickered with life. The red font the rebellion haunted them. _THE TIME HAS COME._

The ground shook and tremors rattled at the chains as an explosion went off. Jongin and Sehun looked to the W-Point anchor. Where rubble and ash rose to the sky. A second explosion commenced.

“Shit,” Sehun cursed. He talked into his earpiece whilst Jongin swooped back toward the anchor.

He looked toward the other Compass Points and they have also been attacked. The explosions were huge and as a third bomb went off, Jongin had to dodge the debris that flew his way.

 From the cloud of dust emerged a harpoon. It barely missed Jongin as it wound around the chain. A member of the rebellion began to climb it, only to take notice of Jongin. Their face was covered with a gass mask which rendered them unidentifiable.They pulled a gun from the holster by their arm and began to shoot ar Jongin.

Their aim was off and Jongin managed to get by unscathed. He drew his gun and shot at the harpoon, trying to dislodge it from the chain.

“Sehun,” he spoke into his mouthpiece. Another harpoon left the dust cloud, claw wrapping aroundthe chain with ease. “The rebellion- they’re climbing the anchors.”

“They’re going to try and get rid of the chains from the base,” Sehun said. “We need to do something.

Jongin was outnumbered. With more members of the rebellion firing their harpoons, the less Jongin could do to prevent them from climbing higher. Instead he flew back to N.E, where angels could come up with a game plan.

Minseok talked in their ears. His voice was calm, but hard around the edges. _“The people need you now more than ever. Do whatever you can to protect the cities. We must not let the rebellion win.”_

Chanyeol had rushed by and dropped off new weapons amongst the chaos. “Fire these at the harpoons,” he said. “They’ll be able to cut the wires.”

The bow and arrow Chanyeol developed was extremely lightweight. The bow felt good in Jongin’s hands. The tip of he arrows glowed aqua as he took aim. As he released, the arrow zipped through the air and cut through the wires with ease.

Cutting the wires didn’t do much in stopping the bombings, but if it meant that they could slow the rebellion down in their climb to N.E, that was good enough.

But what the angels, nor government expected, was an attack from above.

Angels with black wings rained from the sky. They released smoke grenades into the air to submerge the New Eden into a state of confusion.

“We have to fight,” Sehun‘s voice was filled with determination. His expression was hard. “We have to stop them!”

In the midst of the chaos Sehun turned to him. He pulled Jongin forward with a hand fisted into the front of his shirt and crashed their lips together.

“No matter what happens, know that I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Jongin said in a single breath.

“You can’t die on me, okay?”

Jongin nodded. “Okay.”

Sehun lept into the air. His wings spanned wide before he surged upward. His face was etched with seriousness, eyes sharp as he scanned the area around them. Jongin followed in his wake. Sehun fired arrows at the rebellion’s angels as Jongin cut the wires below.

Jongin’s aim didn’t waver. When the wires were cut he aimed at the angel that flew directly at them. Jongin took a deep breath in and out as he fired the arrow, watching as the angel fell from the sky.

Jongin and Sehun fought back to back as if their lives depended on it. And it did.

Jongin had never expected his life to take this turn. He spent the majority of his life watching the skies and now he was there to protect it. He wouldn’t trade it for the world, and in the next life, he would do it all again.

He drew his gun. It was time to fight.  

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! come and find me at these links
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/sezhangs) [cc](https://curiouscat.me/sezhangs)


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